There are three fantastic concerts taking place tonight, and I suspect everyone will find at least one of them appealing.
For something folksy and slow, with plenty of strumming and melancholy, go to The Living Room, where Dare Dukes will be singing about his current home town of Savannah, Georgia as well as our fine urban jungle. In this video Dare is playing with Savannah accordionist, Rose Lifschutz:
Also this evening, one of my favorite rock bands will be hitting the stage at Bowery Ballroom. Black Taxi always put on an excellent live show and they’re catchy numbers, like Pretty Mama, get the whole crowd moving. Watch it here then go out and see it live:
Finally, B is very excited to see Hooray for Earth at Union Hall. Watch this (rather odd but cool) music video and I’m sure you’ll see why:
I am saved from having to make a choice between these three concerts by a prior commitment- tickets to Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera. I hope you are able to make a choice! Enjoy!
If you’ve been following me on Twitter, or checking my tweets in the sidebar, you already know that Prelude starts tonight and that the New York Film Festival is ongoing! More about those in a moment, first, a few more events worth your consideration…
Tonight one of my favorite fellow bloggers has helped to organize a benefit concert at Glasslands. The organization receiving the benefit is called Young Invincibles; they’re an “organization that was created in order to raise awareness about health care reform amongst young people.” Best of all The Woes, who I’ve raved to you about in the past, are one of the acts! If all the hoopla about healthcare reform has made you itch to make a difference but activism is not quite your forte this is the perfect way to spend your evening! Go out and rock out to great music for a cause!
Also tonight Dare Dukes will be crooning his sexy urban folk songs at Banjo Jims; he’s been on tour so get out and welcome him back in style!
Starting tomorrow the 7th Annual New York Burlesque Festival will be making the Big Apple too hot to handle! My favorite performer, Gigi La Femme, will be hitting the stage and if all the shows aren’t enough the festival will wrap up with the award show to end all award shows- The Golden Pasties!
For some short and sweet erotica (in this case it’s ok to be fast) head to Happy Endings for the shorts installment of the In the Flesh Erotica Reading Series.
To return to Prelude… Let me just say that all of the programs are questionable in exactly the right way- ambitious and sincere but possibly over-the-top. I am particularly drawn to ‘Arts in Conversation: Digital,’ which is taking place on Thursday:
From prestidigitation to wall-sized projections, from sleight-of-hand to mediated environments, artists have used the digital arts – in both senses of the word – to amaze audiences, heighten and transform our perception. Whether the illusion is created by video, computer, or by hand the notion of “the digital” remains central to many artists’ presentational aesthetics. Join us in a conversation on the uses of the digital in building imaginative space and informing performance practice.
On Sunday you can plan ahead and buy your perfect and unique holiday gifts at the Astoria Autumn Fest!
Stay tuned for news of even more upcoming events including a rooftop screening of Firefly, the Lamb Takedown (competitive eating just keeps on expanding), some amazing aerial moves at my favorite Trapeze School and short films with a live score!
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or keep track of the tweets in the sidebar for all the latest news!
There are so many amazing events happening this weekend that my google calendar looks like a piece of psychedelic art! Sadly you can never do everything but here are my suggestions!
First off, don’t forget to check my previous post for great events taking place tonight!
Tomorrow night you’re going to have to make some tough choices; there are eight events I feel compelled to post.
The legendary Players, boasting such luminary members as Mark Twain, Eugene O’Neill and Ernest Hemingway, is a members-only social club founded by the famed 19th century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. The Players’ landmarked home is a magnificent Victorian mansion with a wrought-iron balcony overlooking Gramercy Park.
JC Hopkins’ Biggish Band plays rollicking hard bop swing all night featuring guest vocalists tap-dancing sensation DeWitt Fleming Jr, velvet-voiced Jolie Holland, and Tony-nominated downtown icon Justin Bond, in addition to JC’s resident front-woman Queen Esther. The always-surprising Julie Atlas Muz (Miss Exotic World 2006), the jaw-droppingly stylish MsTickle, and hilariously naughty Trixie Little & Evil Hate Monkey perform feats of burlesque to live accompaniment by the band all night. In band breaks, 1920s tap sensation The Minsky Sisters amuse and titillate you.
The dress code calls for top hats and opera gloves… All this and I get to play dress-up? Sign me (and Cinderella) up!
For a slightly more actively artistic salon experience pick up a ticket to the exclusive Draw-a-Thon event happening in Michael Alan’s private studio. The drawing will actually be taking place on the roof of the studio in Williamsburg; the models will be posing as animals against the backdrop of the sun setting over Manhattan- sounds inspiring!
If you want to stay indoors you can head over to Mercury Lounge to rock out with The Spinto Band. I wrote about them some time ago; I’ve had some of their songs in my subway playlists since then and I’ve definitely become quite fond of them.
You also have another chance to see Black Taxi! I saw them perform at Pianos a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to post a full review of their amazing performance- I promise I’ll get that to you soon but for now let me just say I am certain their show at Le Poisson Rouge will be a blast!
Last but not least, I am very excited to announce that there will be a GIANT GAME OF CAPTURE THE FLAG taking place Friday night. Newmindspace has organized this carefully structured game in Williamsburg- play nice!
On Saturday pull yourself together (I know, Friday is going to be intense but you can do it!) and get out to Coney Island for the annual Siren Music Festival! This year performers include Monotonix, Micachu & The Shapes and Spank Rock (to name but a few). After the shows there’s a hot afterparty at The Music Hall of Williamsburg (where there will be even more shows!). Check out the awesome drawing that adorns the press releases:
On Sunday Dare Dukes is playing at the Rockwood Music Hall. Listening to him croon lovely urban folk songs should be an excellent way to wind down the weekend.
Teenager Bud Cort and sexagenarian Ruth Gordon both like to go to funerals of people they don’t know, and meet to embark on one of cinema’s great relationships. Audacious and heartbreaking, Hal Ashby’s superb black comedy also features a perfect soundtrack by Cat Stevens.
Friday is a very special holiday in Sweden- Midsummer, a traditionally pagan holiday linked to the summer solstice and fertility rituals. So where should you celebrate your Swedish heritage, (or celebrate with some hot Swedes)? Party with the Swedish Consulate of course! They’re having a traditional Swedish Midsummer Celebration in Battery Park City:
Adults and children of all ages are welcome to help decorate the midsummer pole, make flower wreaths, play traditional games and dance to authentic fiddle music. Food stands will offer traditional delicacies from New York’s finest Swedish restaurants and food purveyors.
Keep your ears open for news of the equally traditional riotous afterparty!
Also on Friday you can help support Ground UP Productions and have a drink under the stars at their Rooftop Rendezvous! The posh event will be held on the Scholastic Center Rooftop Terrace and in the adjacent Greenhouse, both of which have enviable views of Soho. Get discount tickets HERE.
BAMcinemaFest is kicking off with screenings of new films at the BAM Rose Cinema. The New York Times wrote a blurb with their recommendations; I personally am quite intrigued by this trailer:
Saturday is the biggest event of the summer (at least if you’re a mermaid)- The Coney Island Mermaid Parade!! Words fail to describe the brilliance of this event, so here are some photos from past parades:
That is exactly the kind of madness that defines NYC!
Should you be looking for something more literally tasty there are also two amazing food-centric events happening on Saturday. First, you can witness a competition of gelatinous proportions at the Gowanus Studio Space; the great Jello-O Mold Competition will be judged on creativity, aesthetics, structural/sculptural ingenuity and edibility/culinary appeal. Can we achieve the jell-o art of times past?
If Jello-O isn’t hearty enough for you head over to 513 Henry St at Sackett in Carroll Gardens, where the Greenhorns are presenting the Goat Spit Summer Throwdown:
Join the Reverend Billy and the Greenhorns — a group of especially ambitious (and young!) farmers — in the previously abandoned Vermont Market & Pharmacy in Carroll Gardens for an afternoon of delectable treats and plenty of sustainable tips. Goat gets roasted on a bike-powered spit; you can fill up on greens, burgers, pickles, beer, and espresso, too. A rooftop gardening workshop coaxes your own latent green thumb, while a documentary on the Greenhorns also screens, perhaps serving as inspiration.
Sounds delicious!
On Sunday Central Park Summer Stage is embracing francophilia with a line-up that showcases the diversity of French contemporary music. I am particularly excited about Coralie Clément; watch this adorable music video and you will be too!
What a weekend we have ahead of us! I personally am throwing a party Saturday night so I won’t be able to make as many of these stellar events as I would like but I think it’s going to be an amazing party so I suspect I’ll be able to get over the loss (Flavor tripping masquerade).
Tonight, as previously discussed, Dare Dukes will be performing at Banjo Jims and will give a free CD to anyone who informs him that they heard about his show from TheBigRedApple. Please check him out (haha) and report back.
Join some of the most bold and distinguished thinkers on sex in America in a thoughtful and provocative conversation about sex, pleasure, desire, eroticism, infidelity and monogamy.
ALSO tonight (feeling overwhelmed yet?), check out BAM Jam for free:
Cello wunderkind Rufus Cappadocia burns through ecstatic wails, slap-stringed grooves, and transcendent riffs with gorgeous sound and technique to spare—all on an amped 5-string cello he designed himself.
Tonight AND tomorrow the Glasslands Gallery will be hosting Williamsburg’s Fashion Week. For all of you who love to ogle pretty clothes but haven’t managed to find a way into the tents in Bryant Park (yours truly lusts after those tickets almost as much as I lust after the iPhone), this is the perfect opportunity. And of course the afterparties will feature bands and DJs who are way too cool for Anna Wintour.
Williamsburg Fashion Week
Also on Saturday you can support the New Amsterdam Market and help to make local oysters and sustainable food a part our city. The fundraiser will include some amazing local beer, bread, butter and oysters, just to name a few of the fabulous offerings.
Sunday evening if you aren’t having some sort of Oscar gathering of your own check out these spots for the best views of dresses and golden men:
At Mulhollands proceeds from the costumed Oscar viewing event will go to the Red Hook Initiative . Pull on that mask and drink with the comfort of knowing that you’re supporting a good cause!
At the Village Pourhouse you’ll have access to an excess of giant screens so you won’t miss a bit of the unfortunate fashion choices.
Have a wonderful weekend and if you go to any of these events please let me know what you think!
Tonight there will be an “architecture duel.” That’s right, I said an “architecture duel.” According to the NYTimes:
Architecture competitions are usually staid affairs involving scale models and renderings filled with happy people. Not so tonight, for the fifth installment of the party-giving LVHRD’s “architecture duel.” In the past, competitors have made bridges out of cheese and wilderness sites out of straws. This battle, in Dumbo, pits Weiss/Manfredi, who recently designed the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, against Front Studio, masters of making the most out of a small space. They will make stuff using a secret material for a yet-to-be-revealed theme. As always, though, the real winner is you: there’s free beer and Dewar’s.
In case you missed it in the “comments,” on Wednesday, my friend S, who is my source for all things opera, has informed me that The MET Opera in HD is rebroadcasting Lucia di Lammermoor. This stunning opera, composed by Gaetano Donizetti, features Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala as Donizetti’s fragile title heroine and her lover, Edgardo, and Mariusz Kwiecien as Lucia’s tyrannical brother. Seeing opera in HD is the next best thing to experiencing it in person and if you haven’t fallen in love with opera yet this is a great introduction to the art form.
Finally, I am proud to announce that Dare Dukes read my last blog post and will be offering a free CD to anyone who makes his show Friday at Banjo Jims and says they heard about it from TheBigRedApple. I already own one of his CDs and you should too!
Enjoy your week and check back for more weekend events!
I hope everyone is as happy to have a 4 day week as I am! Celebrate tonight by taking home arm loads of free clothes from Thrift On!, a crazy clothes swap at the Botanica Bar. There will be a DJ, comedy, contests and mayhem. Bring something you’re tired of and remember one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
Zs (say “zees”) combines cutting-edge contemporary classical with avant-rock, diluting neither style in the least. The trio’s hyperinvolved compositions and feverishly exacting performances make it essential listening for any enthusiast of either genre. Sam Mickens hails from visionary art-pop group the Dead Science.
I know I’ve mentioned this venue before, but I will reiterate that this is really the pinnacle of artsy hipsterness in Wburg.
On Wednesday I will be attending a preview performance of a new show called ‘Fire Throws’ at the 3LD Art and Technology Center. It’s a modern twist on the classic play Antigone, which makes it in my opinion the epitome of ‘Questionable Theatre.’ Naturally A and I are going and I expect it will either be amazing or awful; either way we are certain to enjoy ourselves immensely.
Fire Throws
If you aren’t as confident in your ability to laugh off potentially dreadful theater I encourage you to check out the Mixer Reading and Music Series at Cakeshop. Dare Dukes was the musical performer last time and I totally fell in love with his crooning city-folk style. It didn’t hurt that Dare is what my friend K would call ’sexy ugly.’ Actually he’ll be performing this Friday at Banjo Jims, so you can judge for yourself. This week the Mixer includes readings by Janice Erlbaum, Rob Sheffield and Melissa Seley and a musical performance by Allison Clancy. It should also be noted that not only is Cakeshop a great basement bar, it is also the purveyor of yummy pastries both vegan and otherwise.
On Thursday there will be another great literary event- the St. Mark’s Bookshop Reading Series at Solas. It was at one of these events that I heard Junot Diaz read from ‘The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’ and became an instant die hard fan. As someone who enjoys both Llosa and Kanye West this was probably bound to happen. This week Brian Evenson and Jesse Ball will be reading. It tends to be crazy packed so get there early, find a comfy couch and be prepared to be be wowed.
Also on Thursday ‘Handmade Music’ will be umm… exploding at 3rd Ward. If you can get yourself out there (if it’s not too cold) these events are always worth the trip. They involve a coming together of “geeksters and the geek curious” and are generally a truly un-godly racket and a very good time.
I’ll be posting about next weekend as awesome events come to my attention. Please bring any to my attention that you come across!
