Nothing New Under the Sun

One of the nice things about getting older is seeing things repeat itself. This goes under the saying, “What has been will be again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This saying goes back to the Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes, which was, of course, about people grappling with the idea of existence.

This past weekend, we ran errands, walked around the city, and saw the Rebounders at the Hammerstein Ballroom. They were the warm up band. Some band members we have watched play music since they were young’uns. I took the photo above as we were walking towards the ballroom. I love New York. We could walk all through the city on a given day and do multiple activities with ease.

We were able to make our way into the VIP section for their set. Age can get you somewhere. We last saw them play live a while ago, and they are great. Dylan, the lead singer and brainchild behind the band, has all the makings of a rockstar. He is an entrepreneur who has been hustling since he was a kid.

Their music is indie pop rock, the sound they grew up on. What is old is new again. We spent time with our kids going to see The Strokes, the Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, and listening to all kinds of music. These kids grew up on the same tunes, and we would see them at these concerts. They also grew up singing with a guitar on the beach with family and friends. I have a soft spot for indie rock.

It felt good being back in a concert hall. It felt very familiar. I have so many fond concert memories with our kids, who are big music lovers today.  I used to be the driver when it came to music, but over the years, I have taken a back seat.  I swear I found John Mayer before he became big at least in our kitchen where I would play his first CD (yes) over and over and over again.  

Then we went to Moody Tongue Sushi for dinner. The concept hails from Chicago, and it is interesting to see how that becomes NY. The guy behind the bar is insanely knowledgeable about the countless Japanese beers they have sourced. The beer program is strong, and you can do a beer tasting with your meal.

We chose classic sushi before exploring the “concepts.” We are traditionalists when it comes to sushi. When we first came to NYC, we would go to Japonica, located in the village. We would refer to it as “Texas-size sushi.” Large pieces of sushi over rice; although the sushi at Moody Tongue is excellent, it isn’t at Japonica. This is a new Japonica with electronica music and beer.

We decided the entire night had a theme; nothing is new. What is old is new, and what is old is reinvented. I am kinda excited about an indie comeback; big fat sushi, but not so much.