The nice thing about living in New York is that you always know someone up to something relatively interesting -- the kind of thing other people in other places probably couldn't get done, or if they could, they wouldn't be doing it in the cultural epicenter of America (sorry, DC ... you may be the new New York, but at the end of the day, you're still DC). In this case, it's an ad-man named Nick Sonderup, who made a little endurance project for himself: 100 Bands in 100 Days.

Full disclosure: I know Nick personally, and I actually didn't think he'd follow through with this. Not because he couldn't, or wouldn't, but because seeing a concert every night -- being on your feet after a long day of work for two to three hours, music blasting in your ears, surrounded by sweating, dancing scenesters -- is a lot to handle. The rules Nick made for himself in launching this project (must stay until the end of the show, encores optional, no two same bands) ensure that this is actually a test of endurance. Sure, there're people who go to concerts often, or go to concerts every night, even, but those guys inevitably end up taking a break. Nick's nonstop marathon concertgoing could produce some interesting results. He may never want to see a live show again. He might go through serious concert-withdrawal after it ends. Or he might suffer a fate worse than death: passing out from exhaustion in the middle of an emo-pit at Maxwell's in Jersey, consumed by flesh-eating, heart-bleeding teenagers.

I caught up with Nick at Sunday night's Los Campesinos! show at the Bowery Ballroom. He looked beat; he was drinking water (a rare order at the Ballroom) and possibly straining to lift his arms and take pictures. But he stayed through the show -- both acts, mind you -- and left on his feet. Before the show started, he mentioned three trends he'd noticed: more moshing, as opposed to the notoriously docile, cool-footed crowds New York was used to; more stage diving and crowd-surfing, which, again, New York crowds are known for being (literally, physically) unsupportive of; and finally, lead singers playing a huge role in percussion, or drummers playing larger roles in singing. As if on cue, all three things happened -- there was moshing and crowd surfing (at the Bowery Ballroom?! At an indie rock show?!), and there was a singer who spent a lot of time banging on drums, whether they were near his mic stand or on a riser.

Nick's concert-crawl could uncover some radical truths or track trends in live music that most of the rest of the music-going (and music-writing) populace might not have a decent angle on. He's actually taking donations (most of which have come from friends and family) to support the endeavor, which at Day 25, has cost him around $437 (with donations). We wish him the best of luck and will be checking in on his progress (and health) as he moves forward.