Nylon Blogs

Back in the ’60s, you’d have had a difficult time getting Lou Reed, Grace Slick, and David Crosby in the same room together.

But they’re now all together on Wolfgang’s Vault.

Already one of the world’s largest online archives of live music recordings, the website is launching “Cracking The Vault Day” today.

That means 1,000 new concerts for your jamming pleasure.

They’ve got a pre-Summer of Love gig by the Jefferson Airplane, a post-British Invasion show by the Byrds, and even a few 21st century inclusions (like NYLON faves White Rabbits and Thee Oh Sees).

And unlike those bootleg tapes you used to trade in the ’90s, these recordings won’t get eaten up by your Walkman when you try to play them.

CNN has a very cool story today on the record label, Def Jam.

In graphics, quotes, and reporting text, they explore how the company began in a college dorm room and basically took over the world.

Highlights include the time Rick Rubin met DJ Jazzy Jeff in college, Russell Simmon’s lucrative licensing deal in the ’90s, and the addition of Fall Out Boy to the label in 2004.

2004?  Wow, that makes us feel old.

The one thing the pictogram could use?

Some information on all the talented women on Def Jam!

They never mention it, but we remember meeting Rihanna in 2005, after she first came to New York as a Def Jam protege.

And now we feel even older…

Last night, Soho House was unusually packed with bright young things.

There was the artist Blue Logan, the writer (and expert french fry cooker) Andrew Bevan, the front-row fixture Bee Shaffer, our own Shruti Ganguly, and a ton of shiny-haired high school girls who looked more like Blair Waldorf than anyone I ever knew in 10th grade.  Mick Rock stood in the corner.

We were there to see Florence Welch, the lead singer from Florence and the Machine, who played a 30 minute acoustic set while we sat gamely on the floor, clapping and singing, aided by beer and lots of cute British guys.

Naturally, I smuggled my camera up to the front.  Check out some performance pics below.

xo faran

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Number of bands:5

Number of band members with cool tights: 4

Number of mac’n'cheese orders: 3

Wait, is CMJ already over? Because we haven’t stopped going to shows…Here’s the rundown:

The Smith Westerns: Barely out of their diapers, and already playing killer rock. Catch them before Ryan McGinley does.

Dum Dum Girls: Dee Dee and her new backing band (including Frankie) live up to expectations - amazing outfits included. If only she smiled a little more onstage…

Lightspeed Champion: Alexa Chung approved. But we have dibs on the wizard outfit.

Small Black: Passion Pit, but with baseball caps.

Surfer Blood: Vampire Weekend, if they traded Cape Cod for Palm Beach (and jammed to Weezer way more).

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It’s time to party with this DJ, a part of the infamous MisShapes trio and a hallmark of downtown style circles thanks in part to his razor-sharp cheekbones to match his razor-cut hair.

Geordon was born in Canada and may or may not have appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Today, he lives in Manhattan, but frequently visits London, Paris, Miami, Los Angeles, and certain exclusive parts of the planet Neptune, which has been secretly turned into a nightclub by an anonymous blonde starlet and her conceptual artist boyfriend.

When not DJing, Geordon’s hobbies include being awesome.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GORGEOUS!!!

It hurricaned this weekend, but that didn’t stop TopShop style adviser Laura Zapata from zooming me down to Brooklyn on Saturday to witness a giant music event:

The final mad party of CMJ was thrown by Topman and starred Neon Indian onstage.

Kitted out in full TopShop outfits, the band definitely lived up to its colorful name:

Everyone wore something bright enough to be a Pixie Stick flavor.

Our favorite style statement?

The keyboardist, whose hair was basically the same color as her dress.

Monochrome’s always been fashionable, but this just takes it…

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Guess who’s opening for Friendly Fires this winter on our next music tour?

THE XX!

The CMJ superstars, who (literally) shut down the Tribeca Grand Hotel this Friday with their kids-to-the-wall packed performance, are officially on our lineup, starting November 19 in Austin, Texas.

If you live in San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and New York City (or anywhere close by), you’ll have your own chance to see them.

For now, check out our pics from their Tribeca Grand appearance, and visit them on MySpace.

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