If you didn’t catch my last post you should check that first for some great events happening this evening and throughout the weekend, (Jazz! Sex Crimes Cabaret! Urban Gypsy Circus!), that said here are some more reasons to be in NYC over the holiday…
Friday evening, provided you aren’t killed in a Black Friday mob, there are two very different events I think are worth considering. First, Elysian Fields is playing at Joe’s Pub. Watch this video for a taste of their unique brand of luminosity:
Also on Friday there is a super nostalgic double feature showing at 92Y Tribeca– Clueless AND Mallrats! Did you know that there are 53 different kinds of tartan/plaid used in Clueless, seven of which are worn by Cher? Just watching this trailer makes me want to say WHATever to someone.
This weekend you have two chances to pair excellent food and excellent music at Monkeytown; the Neel Murgai Ensemble will be accompanied by a 5-course Indian dinner. Nothing goes together like raga and Chai spiced poha pudding!
That’s all for the moment but stay tuned for all sorts of additions over the weekend! Follow me on twitter for the latest and Happy Turkey Day!
In the next few days many of you will be traveling to spend this gluttonous holiday with loved ones (or loved ones once removed) around the country. Therefore the next couple of nights should be packed with excellent NYC madness so that you can dazzle your relatives with tales of your life on the wild side.
Tonight slip on some skates ahead of the pack; the rink at Rockefeller Center is open and the lines will only get worse from now on!
Rockefeller Center
You have six chances to catch Jacqui Naylor at the Blue Note this week; this young lady’s interpretative capabilities and wide vocal range make hers an act you have to hear to believe. She’s also debuting eleven year-old Matt Wong on piano and guitar; there is nothing like a prodigy to add some absurdity to your night.
Starting Dec. 1, you also have six chances to catch Sex Crimes Cabaret; “SEX CRIMES navigates amazing but true sexual legislation, taboos and history in a scintillating, multi-media cabaret.”
Wednesday afternoon head over to 77th & 81st Streets between Central Park West & Columbus Ave to watch the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade inflate! I’ve watched before and there is really nothing like seeing an enormous Mr. Potato Head slowly emerge from a puddle of plastic- that is magic in action!
Wednesday night if you’re still in town there’s a monster loft party that your Aunt Esther will never believe- Urban Gypsy Circus:
Loft party featuring Go Go Go Dancers, Visual Projection Artists, a hooka lounge, spiked hot cider, turkey time games and smores. Hosted by Taylor Splifft with DJ’s Vinyl Richie and Dru Klein spinning a mix of Gypsy House Break Beats, Reggae & Classic Hip Hop. Live performances by Japanese Gypsy Band “Kagero”, Indian Space funk band “Consider the Source”, Spills vs. FeleciaCruz, Miz Metro’s Unlimited Live Remix Ride, Avnah, and Under the Rasta Influence. All night drink specials, $2 beers $4mixed drinks. FREE Party Shuttle Bus pick up all night from the NE corner of Lorimer & Metropolitan, starting at 8:30pm on the half hour. (171 Lombardy St Loft/corner of Varick, BK, 8pm-6am, $10, free drink with RSVP to ugcparty@gmail.com)
Ok, that’s all for the moment but I’ve been doing a lot of tweeting lately so if you’re not following me or reading the sidebar you’re missing out on all sorts of news! Plus you’ll miss the play-by-play as I attempt to create Pumpkin Crème Brûlée in G’s mother’s kitchen.
The Big Apple is full of fun this week and next and I hope you’ll join me in making the most of it! Tonight there’s questionable theater for a cause; Nevsky Prospect brings you Gogol in an effort to renovate the Mazer Theater. Even more questionable are the acts that will proceed it:
The first half consists of community members performing their own work. Think a couple of 80 year old ladies tap dancing, and let your imagination go from there. It’s a tough act to follow, but Nevsky is the second half of the benefit. We can’t wait to see you there, and if you’re coming tonight we’ll party party party all night long at Bar 169 right after the show.
The Joy of Sake is the largest sake-tasting outside Japan, and
has been held annually since 2001. It features premium sakes
submitted as entries to the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a rigorous blind tasting held every year with ten judges from Japan and the U.S.
The Joy of Sake is the largest sake-tasting outside Japan, and has been held annually since 2001. It features premium sakes submitted as entries to the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a rigorous blind tasting held every year with ten judges from Japan and the U.S. Over 270 sakes will be available for tasting, along with appetizers presented by 15 of New York’s finest restaurants.
As I mentioned before, the M.E.A.N.Y. Fest is hitting the city this weekend. Stay tuned for my review of Black Taxi’s new album, Things of that Nature, which they’ll be releasing this Saturday (their concert is part of the Fest).
On Friday AND Saturday 92Y is hosting the Labyrinth Sing-Along! Both days are sold out but if you can’t weasel your way in you can always throw your own! I would start with this one if I were you…
On Saturday get all the HOT jazz you can handle from the Brian Newman Trio at Antik. This party, hosted by Wit’s End, will also feature a FREE Charleston Lesson with Neal Groothuis and Jeri Lynn Astra and haute chocolates from Chocolats Meurens. You may recall I‘ve mentioned Brian Newman’s musical stylings before; this is sure to be a great show!
Stay tuned for more news about next week, including Eat Local Week, The Burlesque Festival and a screening of Firefly on a rooftop! Also be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest additions and updates (the Twitter feed is also in the left-hand margin so you can read it even if you’re not a tweeter).
Happy Monday everyone! I actually woke up at 5:45 and went to my 7am yoga class today so I’m already feeling hugely accomplished, plus since I’m funemployed I got to nap all morning afterwards! Hurray! I hope you are off to an equally good start this week! I wrote about a couple of events for tonight in an earlier post, so be sure to check that out.
This is the last week to check out Hiding Behind Comets, a play by Brian Dykstra that the NYTimes calls “a dark, gritty story with its full measure of sex, violence, profanity and general nastiness.” Check it out at the Spoon Theater!
David Tully, Rebecca Challis and Kiran Malhotra in Hiding Behind Comets
Tomorrow night celebrate Good Beer Month at the Local Grill-Off to benefit Slow Food! The event will be taking place at Water Taxi Beach, so you can check out the skyline while enjoying excellent food and beer! Get your tickets here.
In celebration of Good Beer Month, watch contestants show off their grilling skills using locally sourced ingredients in the Local Grill-Off to benefit Slow Food ($35). After sampling the entries, try locally sourced feasts from some the city’s top ‘cue joints (including Fette Sau, Rub BBQ and the soon-to-open Fatty Cue) and beers from Six Point Brewery.
This exciting walking tour covers everything from the Golden Age of the American gangster at the turn of the century to prohibition-era gang wars to the bohemian arts and drug culture of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Some of the most influential and colorful criminals and characters in American history have called the East Village home — organized mobsters, social-political organizations, radical activists, religious cults, and everything in-between.
Trace the steps of everyone from Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Al Capone, and Lucky Luciano to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, The Hells Angels, GG Allin, and many many more. Riots, squatter evictions, cannibals, street gangs, kidnappings, shoot outs, assassinations, grave-robbers, hangings, bombings; we cover it all…
For a look at more recent history you can join the hipsters in McCarren Park for a screening of 24-hour Party People, a comedy documenting Manchester’s golden age of Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. Check out the trailer:
On Thursday celebrate the great Jazz music written for piano at the 92Y Tribeca. Performers include pianists Mulgrew Miller, Eric Scott Reed, Renee Rosnes and Bill Charlap.
If it’s dancing you want head out to Hugs for another addition of Excess Energy‘s much lauded Love Machine party! DJs Brian Blackout and Fucci will be spinning the tunes while you connect with that hot stranger in the crowd through interactive messaging! The UK Magazine Grazia Daily will be there checking out the action; go show them what Wburg is all about!
If you want to add some art to your week head over to the Soho20 Gallery in Chelsea for the opening of their new exhibit Boxing Gloves and Bustiers! The exhibit explores different concepts of female identity through video art. Here’s a still from one of the pieces:
Under My Skin by Valerie Garlick
Have an excellent week and stay tuned for additions!
This is my last week of traditional employment so I’ve been a tad busy tying up loose ends; next week you can expect to see more timely posts.
Tonight there are a couple of awesome events to consider if you haven’t made plans for the evening. At Santos Party House you can experience truly multidisciplinary art. Narcissister, a burlesque performer/artist will be running the show, which will also include music from Andrew W.K. and some crazy artwork by the NYTimes-lauded video artist Kalup Linzy. Be prepared to be dazzled.
Also tonight, for a more pampering experience you can head up to Yonkers where the owners of 66Main are hosting an open house extraordinaire– complete with free massages, cocktails, deluxe hand-rolled cigar sampling and free accessories. You may not actually be able to afford the apartments but you can certainly enjoy the shwag.
Tomorrow there will be a fantastic opening party at The City Reliquary; Indigenous includes works from Dixie Appel, Laila Caron, Ming Lin, Victor Kerlow, Anny Oberlink, Anna Pelavin, Maggie Prendergast, Betty Roytburd, Samantha Silverman, Alex Tatarsky, and more.
This exhibition seeks to commemorate the many places that have come and gone, all of which have contributed to a colorful New York City upbringing. This multimedia installation will include works on paper, film, literature, and assorted ephemera, providing a unique perspective which will complement the already vast collection currently housed in the Reliquary. By recognizing places which have played a formative role, through image and memory, Indigenous – A Group Show hopes to inspire visitors to remember those things which have made their New York experience worthwhile. Visitors are invited to record their stories and add to a growing archive of memories.
Also on Wednesday you can try to out-dance the burlesque dancers at The Bowery Electric; the Burlesque Dance Party is an all out participatory burlesque extravaganza:
Featuring the bombastic talents of Amber Ray and Boo Boo Darlin with gorgeous go-go and hosted by the Ladies of the Shack, Miss RunAround Sue and Legs Malone. DJ Jess is on the decks spinning those toe tappin’ beats made all the more fluid by our fabulous FREE SHOTS throughout the night courtesy of North 44 Vodka. Pop Pistol’s on the door – takin your hearts and your cash. The go-go contest and makeout minute are only two more reasons to hustle on down – and bring your friends, your lovers – and everyone in between!
On Thursday Swedish artist Anders Holst will be playing “selections from his recent release, Romantika, his previous EP, Five, as well as smooth and jazzy interpretations of some classic romantic tunes” at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency. Pick up your tickets here.
Have a good week and stay tuned for additions and tales of my recent shenanigans!
