anyone who was at one of these shows is cool.

I was at the Maxwells ahow in July of '98. It was the grand re-opening of Maxwells after the new owners bought it back from the people who had turned it into a shitty brew pub. I remember the show being great. The vibe in the room was amazing even though they didn't have their liquor liscense yet, helped by the fact that everyone was happy to have Maxwells back. Within the first two weeks, Elliott Smith & Fugazi also played there.

Every live recording i've ever heard of this band indicates that they weren't particularly good live- i've always considered them a studio band

I guess actually seeing them live might change my mind, though

he also played a mesmerizing solo in-store at Other Music around the release of the first album.

does he really exist? he was amazing when he played, Jesus landed and sat in on the audience. the founding fathers showed up as well so to did Ghandi, Voltaire, Locke and Hume. When Jeff Magnum walked by woman became pregnant.

neutral milk hotel is a classic example of a band that never really "hit" during their prime (or existence rather). look at the pixies, they're definitely selling out bigger venues and making more cash than they did during the first run.

the new indie indie model: make album, plug away at a small shows for years, break up, wait 10 years while the next generation of bands discovers your album and openly cites it as an influence, reunite, sell out msg.

oh man, the pulsars were so goddamn underrated. i saw them at the westbeth for the cmj show...

In reply to above- Yeah, but only if you're effing talented- Not everyone can pull a NMH or a Pixies. Lord no.

The thing about NMH was they never really broke up in the sense other bands do....with people hating each other or a career that ran its course, etc...plus Jeff played / recorded as NMH for about 5 years or so before the classic lineup was formed...so who knows what a reunion would consist of but I think they all keep in touch & I was at the Olivia Tremor Control show at Bowery last August and all 4 members were there , 2 playing with OTC and one playing in his own group opening up & Jeff standing in the wings digging it all & getting involved...this seems totally natural and not calculated (unlike The Pixies and others) it also may not end up so neat & easy
as in a greatest hits show at Webster Hall or something but I'm sure it will be fun & memorable if & when.....

Pitchfork did a piece, and Somersalt.com did a funny rip on how overly excited they are about it. I kind of agree. Great album by one band, but there's scores of good LP's out there. ;)

Yes, they headlined that Bowery show in 98.

they played @ Maxwell's on July 26, 1998.
Also, Jeff (and maybe others, definitely one or two Yo La Tengo members) played several songs with Lambchop @ the Threadwaxing Space on 11/6/98 -- that show was incredible.

I saw NMH 3 times (+above related show) and wasn't ever particularly blown away but am glad I got the chance to see them then. Their sound live never quite achieved the same effect the studio work did (for me, at least) but still...

They were also a difficult band to record well (sonically)live as you would probably guess.

yeah, from the little i know of the elephant 6 folks so they seem to be pretty sensitive about maintaining good relationships with each other. i bet they'd any sort of reunion the right way:

at radio city (possibly with beirut on board to fully flesh out the expansive sound). they'll need a theramin player of course (the chick from sebastian tellier). and olivia tremor control will open the night by playing 'black foliage' in its entirety.

let's hope jeff likes to read brooklyn vegan.

The 1997 Brownies show was a definite highlight for me that year. My band at the time was catching some heat and I got to go downstairs to band room and hang out (very much to the side!). A wonderful evening. Gotta say Tremor Control blew the Hotel away IMHO.

I remember OTC being pretty sloppy live back in the late 90's but when I saw them last year they were pretty tight...I imagine a similar thing would happen if NMH played again...people grow as musicians and their attitude about performing changes as well.

jeff also played drums and sang backup vocals for circulatory system when i saw them at maxwell's in the Fall of 2001. here is the east coast tour from 2001:
11-06 Charlottesville, VA - Tokyo Rose
11-07 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber
11-08 New York, NY - NYU Thompson Center
11-09 Brooklyn, NY - North Six
11-10 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
11-11 Easthampton, MA - Flywheel
11-12 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
11-14 Baltimore, MD - Otto Bar
11-15 Richmond, VA - TBA
11-16 Carrboro, NC - Go! Studios

saw NMH in fayetteville, ak in 1997. they opened for superchunk. i loved the show. who really wants an exact recreation of the album? i find that to be boring. the live show was loose, with the horns blasting out of key, but that's part of the e6 appeal i think, more friends creating than virtuoso's masturbating.
after NMH finished playing jeff took off his guitar, hopped offstage and walked directly out of the club. i talked to julien koster, the magic saw player, who was very friendly.

can't wait to hear his music again.

Oh, the nostalgia! It's true that NMH weren't the best band live, but that kind of wasn't the point, was it?

ITS A HOAX !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.e6townhall.com/viewthread.php?tid=6614

nice. who is the guy who says he talked to Jeff?

Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo, Jeff's friend since childhood, also a frequent poster to the E6 board

thx.

HA, its a joke, www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002729028

All you moron hipsters can go cry away your pain. Wah Wah Wah!

I was at the Bowery show in 98, and, yeah, NMH was the headliner. That was actually the first time I ever went to the Bowery, which I believe opened in late 1997. I adored both of their records at the time, and this was the first time I'd ever seen them, but I must admit I was completely underwhelmed. Frankly, they were a mess. A few songs pulled together well, in particular Holland 1945, but most of them fell flat, the musicians crossing over that fine line between brilliantly hanging together and just sounding flat-out sloppy. I almost left early, but decided to stick it out. I still love their albums to this day, but at least from that one show, I'd say they were a fairly middling live band. One of the most disappointing shows I've ever been to. I have some boots, and they sound OK, so maybe it was just an off night. Who knows?

I can image all of this overhyped breathless anticipation of every time Jeff Magnum blinks is a huge reason why he's never released another album.

I would think that when (if) he plays again, it won't be as "Neutral Milk Hotel" and would be surprised if he plays those songs again. It definately won't be the same band, I would think.

I find all of this hype around them really strange. Don't get me wrong - I loved them (still do) from the very first 7", and thought they were great the 2 times I saw them, but not many people gave that much of a shit about them, even after _Aeroplane_ came out. It's bizarre this amazing cult of personality that has evolved around Jeff over the last decade....

i thought it was pretty common knowledge that NMH never played really huge shows, they played in some new brunswick basement some time in 1998 before they broke up and played maxwells frequentlly

I saw that show at the Bowery in '98...it was packed, and they were amazing...still to this day one of the best shows I've ever seen.

as far as live recordings go...look for a the Kings Arms one from San Fran...it's a great concert bootleg.

I saw OTC and NMH @ Lounge Ax in Chicago in '98 and it was a very magical night. I had never heard of either band, but my friend who's judgement I respected, said that I was to not miss this show.
He was right... they we're both very loose and real, but the vibe in the room was that something truly unique was happening. OTC was moving through their set like it was carefully calculating a bomb strike. Then NMH came on first w/Jeff alone and he silenced a very loud Lounge Ax with his guitar and voice- an off kilter mystic approach. I can't wait to hear what OTC and NMH is up to now.

not too bad