Noah

So I know this is a music blog and this is a movie...BUT...tonight I got the pleasure to see a movie that I had waited 7 years for, Aronofsky's "Noah".  My friend Bill actually asked Aronofsky in person at a pre-screening of "The Wrestler" back in 2008 about when this film was coming out and he answered that when he had the funding he would make it.  We immediately considered trying to raise some funds for Aronofsky to end the world on screen...but thankfully he ended up getting the budget he deserves.  It's probably the best film I've seen in theaters since Malick's "The Tree of Life", and it is actually quite similar in some ways.  If you're a fan of Aronofsky, films that are simultaneously thought provoking, beautiful, and extremely epic - than you owe it to yourself to see this.  

It's exciting to see Aronfksy being able to do something on a big budget (130 million), work with some big names, allowing him to reach a wider audience and to still get his final cut of the film (very thankful that Paramount's alternative versions were not released instead).  However, like the Tree of Life, it was quite a horrible theater experience - since it attracts a wider audience, there were folks yelling at the screen at times like it was some shitty-B horror or sci-fi flick, laughing at profound moments of the film and such...perhaps because they are uncomfortable with the intense emotional subject matter that the film involves at times or because they came just because they like Russell Crowe and Emma Watson and were going into the theater to be entertained, but not willing (or prepared) to listen to what Aronofsky has to say...but that's a whole tangent in itself.    

I went into this film without having seen any trailers, having read anything, and having only seen a couple stills...but as with any Aronofsky movie, somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought that this movie very well might change the way I look at life and very well might be the best movie I'll ever see.  I have no comment if either of these things occurred for me tonight...but I will say that I am not at all disappointed.     

And I'll say that "everyone is Noah, and everyone is the ark"...

Blastfest 7: Pure Matrix (NYC), World Cup, Citrusphere, Ball Pit, Mike Simonelli and more TBA @ SBC 9pm

I'm pumped to say I'll be playing on Wednesday night at the Smokey Bear Cave in Allston as part of Blastfest 7.  Pure Matrix (NYC), World Cup, Citrusphere, and Ball Pit will also be playing.  Music will start around 9:00.  It's going to be rad.

FB Event Page for Wednesday night at the SBC

Blastfest FB Event Page

Spring Shows - 2014

Here's 10 shows I'm pumped about this spring:

3/21 - Madlib - Middle East Downstairs 
-not sure if I can make it to this since I've got like 4 places I want to be this night...but it should be a great show for sure.

3/22 - Mike Simonelli & Friendly People (at Firehouse 13 in Providence, RI)

3/26 - Blastfest 7: Pure Matrix (NYC), World Cup, Citrusphere, Ball Pit, Mike Simonelli and more TBA @ SBC 9pm

4/6 - Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Middle East Downstairs 

4/8 - Cloud Nothings - Brighton Music Hall


4/19 - Mike Simonelli, Friendly People, Carnival, and Eastern Midwestern - at the Watermyn House in Providence 

4/22 - Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks - Brighton Music Hall

4/28 - the Knife - House of Blues


4/29 - Slint - Paradise Rock Club 

..and they also have this documentary coming out this spring: 

5/10 - Mogwai - House of Blues 

Mogwai are probably the loudest band I've ever heard live in regards to decibels (with only MBV coming close).  Make sure you have ear protection if you go to this!!!

5/17 - SWANS - The Royale

March 22nd: Mike Simonelli, Friendly People, & The Paintbrush Orchestra at Firehouse 13 in Providence, RI

Pumped to say that this Saturday (March 22nd) I'll be playing at Firehouse 13 along with two of my favorite bands from New York, The Paintbrush Orchestra and Friendly People.  I previously wrote about The Paintbrush Orchestra on here, and Friendly People's album "Shake" I mentioned in my top 50 albums of 2012.

Come on out if you're in the area and you're free - should definitely be a good time.  

FB Event Page

Hope to catch you there!

Next Step Benefit - March 29th at MIT

So for the past three or four summers I've worked at camp/conferences for an organization called Next Step.  Next Step puts together programs for youth living with life threatening illnesses at absolutely no cost for the youth.  The oldest program they run is called One Love, which aims to helps empower, educate and encourage young people living with HIV to develop important life-skills and make healthy choices.  It has been nothing short of amazing making music with some extremely talented youth from this program, seeing the program grow, and watching the youth be empowered in sharing their story to the world (such as with a few years ago when a few youth from One Love made the front page of the New York Times).  And in the last couple years Next Step has also started similar camps for youth living with cancer and metabolic, mitochondrial, and rare genetic diseases, which I feel very fortunate to have been a part of as well.

(photograph courtesy of Jasmin Floyd)

On March 29th Next Step is hosting a benefit fundraiser in the Walker Memorial Building at MIT in Cambridge, MA.  I'll be playing in the house band for it (which is made up of all music therapists and we'll be playing some jamming classic pop tunes, as well as some current ones) and youth from these camp/conferences will also be performing.  It should be a pretty amazing celebration of all the great work that folks at Next Step are doing and should hopefully raise some serious funds to allow these ridiculously awesome programs to happen and to equip them with a rocking music therapy team.  It is pretty pricey (a $75 donation per ticket if you register before March 21st), but it's for as good of a cause as is out there and it's been a blast every year - so if you have the funds and are interested in coming here's a link with more info.  And every penny still counts, so if you want to help out but can't afford the price of the ticket, here's where you can donate.

Thanks!!!

March 1st: Mike Simonelli, Dearest Pinky, & Alek Darson

Heyo,

I'm playing a show in Boston for the first time in four months.  It'll be a conceptual set and entirely different material than the last Boston show.  And a former Bobcat/co-worker (Lindsay Gardner) will also be playing a set with her band Dearest Pinky.  Should be a fun night - so come on out if you're free!

FB Event Page

Time Travel is Dangerous

I decided to make a Facebook artist page - I will be releasing music and posting about upcoming shows on there as well.  You can check it out here if you'd like to add me or follow me or like me or whatever you call it

And on that note, here’s a video for a song called “Time Travel is Dangerous”.  The video was created by filming and recording me playing the tune and then edited together with some of the video I project at my live shows.  

For some of this video you can’t exactly see everything I’m doing since I do a lot with my feet - but here’s what my pedal board set up for this song looks like in case you’re interested:

Special thanks to Ari Rejman for filming.

I’ll be playing this tune as well as more tunes about time travel and dreams on March 1st at 
Mcganns in Boston.  Dearest Pinky and some other rad bands are playing - should be good folks, good tunes, and good times, so feel free to mark your calendar.

Thanks for listening,

Mike