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First of all I’d like to remind you that I’ve posted some excellent events for tonight, including the event I’ll be attending- the Raspberry Brothers’ Top Gun show. If you come out be sure to introduce yourself to the ringleader (Jerm) and tell him you found out about them through TheBigRedApple; he’ll point you my way and possibly buy you a beer after the show.
Tomorrow night please join me in petitioning the weather gods for sunshine (rain dance anyone?). If it doesn’t rain you can partake of a free open bar on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel, courtesy of Citybartenders.com. Here’s the invite; be sure to RSVP!
The New York City Opera will be performing outside Friday and Saturday nights (cross your fingers). Friday night is La Navarraise:
Massenet’s rarely performed La Navarraise is a turbulent love story unfolding against the backdrop of civil war in Spain. This work, which is often compared to Leoncavallo’s Cavalleria rusticana, showcases Massenet at his lyrical best. La Navarraise is set in two short acts with an intermezzo for a total running time of 50 minutes.
and Saturday is
a concert program of beloved arias, duets and overtures that have become part of American popular culture. Featuring popular melodies from Puccini, Rossini and Verdi.
Hearing these performers sing outdoors is a unique and powerful experience; don’t miss this chance for free opera!
La Navarraise
This is the last weekend to see Paved Paradise Redux: The Art of Joni Mitchell at The Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement. John Kelly’s interpretation of Joni Mitchell is both “haunting and hilarious.” This is the sort of tribute that is worth seeing on its own merits.
Paved Paradise Redux The Art of Joni Mitchell
This is also the last weekend to see a dance performance in a public bathroom. Yes, I said a dance performance in a public bathroom. Only in New York, right? Well, Dark Horse/Black Forest is certainly an interesting piece and it’s performed in the lobby bathroom of the Gershwin Hotel.
It’s an intense love story presented in the most intimate of spaces: the bathroom. It’s dance. It’s art. It’s interior design.
Dark Horse/Black Forest
On Saturday there are a number of great events to choose from. B is a fan of Dr. Dog, who is performing at the Prospect Park Bandshell as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer concert series. Check out this video for a taste of their brand of psychedelic madness:
If that’s not your thing you may want to check out What’s On Your Plate?, an outdoor screening/foodie event that’s part of the BAMcinemaFEST:
You’ve read Omnivore’s Dilemma and Fast Food Nation and you try to buy local and organic produce at your neighborhood farmer’s market. But do you really know how what you’re eating ended up on your table? Through the eyes of two intelligent and inquisitive eleven-year-old girls from New York City, we follow the many paths, the conflicting economics, and the disparate decision makers who all play a part in what we eat. Ideal for families to watch together, the film presents a variety of perspectives on how food reaches our urban community and its associated challenges. An introduction by the filmmakers will precede the screening. Presented in conjunction with The Afro-Punk Festival.
ALSO on Saturday you have another chance to see Black Taxi, performing this time at Pianos (G and I will be there!). I’ve written about them before; check out this post to see a video of their single ‘Wanted.’
On Sunday there’s a fantastic foodie event- The Unfancy Food Show. Brooklyn Based has all the details; let me just say this will be finger lickin’ good!
Sunday is your last chance to see acrobats on a boat! The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge have earned well-deserved praise for this unique entertainment venture; check it out!
Also on Sunday, there are 4 programs of short films screening at the BAM Rose Cinema; I’m particularly drawn to the animated shorts.
BAM Animated Shorts Program
Have a great weekend and stay tuned for additions!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
This weekend New York City is going to be one GIANT PARTY, or to be more accurate, you will have a variety of massive events to choose from. I’ll start big and then return to the smaller gems.
Saturday and Sunday Madison Sq. Park (5th Ave. and 23rd St.) will be the center of the BBQ universe:
The Seventh Annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party returns to Madison Square Park June 13-14, 2009, from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The weekend-long event takes place every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a hundred thousand barbecue enthusiasts.
Big Apple Barbecue 2008
It is going to be intense. I’m considering not eating until then.
If you haven’t gorged yourself on BBQ there’s another marvelous food-centric event starting this weekend and running through next week- the NYC Food Film Festival! The concept is both simple and brilliant- you watch films about food and you eat the food while watching them. Last summer I ate some of the best samosas I’ve ever had, while watching a film about making samosas (they’re hard to make) and sitting on Water Taxi Beach overlooking all of Manhattan.
Food Film Festival 2008 at Water Taxi Beach
This summer the films cover delicacies ranging from peeps to mushrooms. Check out the trailer here.
A somewhat more movement oriented event is taking over Governors Island this weekend:
FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy on Governors Island. It’s a free, annual celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. For one weekend each summer, it transforms Governors Island into a large-scale collaborative artwork… and then it’s gone.
“Participatory” means it’s nothing like your average gallery show, this is the sort of art that is to be experienced. This video, about last summer’s event, should give you a taste of what the island will have to offer you this weekend:
Yesterday was the first night of a fairly unique theater festival- Planet Connections, an eco-friendly theater festival intended to foster social awareness:
Each of the more than 30 productions will be set up to benefit a particular nonprofit organization by donating a percentage of proceeds, soliciting volunteers or otherwise supporting the organization. The ideas behind the comedies, dramas and musicals range from the overtly political, like “The Katrina Project: Hell and High Water,” based on interviews with the hurricane’s survivors, to lighter fare, like “Suckers,” about a group of vampires. (The latter benefits the Red Cross Blood Bank of course.)
If you missed all those out of town music festivals this weekend you can have the awesome line-ups close to home! L Magazine is throwing a massive music event in Brooklyn- the Northside Festival.
Brooklyn Based and Gothamist are getting in on the action with ‘Our Very Own SXSW‘.
Now, let me start again at Friday…
If you’re looking for a romantic way to spend a Friday evening I can personally guarantee that drinking wine in the rose garden of the New York Botanical Garden tops the charts:
Stroll through the Rose Garden during the height of its beauty, stay late and enjoy a musical performance, talk with Botanical Garden experts about rose care, and purchase a glass of wine to complement the colors and aroma of the roses.
If you’ve always chosen sci-fi over romance you should be at 92Y Friday night for an evening of Battlestar Galactica:
Cast members from Battlestar Galactica join leading roboticists to explore scientifically, philosophically and ethically the approaching frontier where intelligent machines are commonplace and cybernetic technology enhances human capabilities. Featuring sneak previews from the forthcoming Battlestar spinoff The Plan as well as live appearances by some of the shows favorite cylons.
Also on Friday, there’s a fabulous event at the Guggenheim:
In honor of its 50th Anniversary, the Guggenheim has produced a documentary film on the history of its building, collections, exhibitions, and the development of its international network. The 27-minute film combines archival materials—including talks given by Solomon Guggenheim and Frank Lloyd Wright—with contemporary footage featuring artists, art historians, architects, architectural historians, and curators.
ALSO on Friday, for those of you who enjoy public pillow fights, I give you… a Bubble War in Times Square. At 6:15 on the corner of W 47th St. & Broadway the bubbles will fly! Once you’re covered in sticky bubble suds head to the afterparty at Club Exit in Greenpoint.
On Saturday the Queens of Pain will be playing against Manhattan Mayhem at the Hunter College Sports Complex- it’s always a good weekend for Gotham Girls Roller Derby!
You may recall how much I enjoyed the Young New Yorkers Chorus‘ last performance; they’re playing again Saturday night at St. Peter’s Church- check them out!
On Sunday rediscover Brooklyn’s suburban past by going on the Victorian Flatbush Houses Tour:
Developed more than 100 years ago to be a piece of suburban living just minutes from Manhattan, Victorian Flatbush maintains that special atmosphere today — right in the heart of Brooklyn. Stroll the streets of this spectacular neighborhood, home to five NYC Historic Districts, and tour interiors of 10 stunning homes, each lovingly preserved and restored.
Also on Sunday, I simply can’t resist adding an awesome event at the Bell House:
THE MODE MERR FASHION SHOW SPECTACULAR- Enjoy an afternoon of live music, burlesque, hot rods, DJ’s & the unveiling of the newest Mode Merr collection! SHOP THE DAY AWAY WITH A FULL BOUTIQUE OFFERING THE LATEST MODE MERR LOOKS AND OTHER FUN ITEMS! w/ performances from Angie Pontani & The World Famous Pontani Sisters, Dirty Martini, Helen Pontani, The World Famous *BoB*, Peekaboo Pointe, Miss Delirium Tremens, Little Brooklyn, GiGi LaFemme, The Lady Iye, The Fisherman Xylophonic Orchestra & many more to be announced!
I need not remind you that 1) I adore burlesque and 2) GiGi LaFemme and Peekaboo Pointe are two of my favorite performers, in fact, this interview with GiGi LaFemme made me a true fan.
GiGi LaFemme
On that note I shall end this post but please stay tuned for additions and have a marvelous weekend!
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It’s good to be back! The LSAT is behind me for another few months (I’ve decided to cancel this score and try again as I think I can be better prepared next time) and it is time to paint this town red! I started last night with a fantastic concert at Terminal 5; Santigold was phenomenal! I will tell you all about her stunning performance, as well as two other concerts I snuck in during my months in exile (The Wet Spots and Naomi Shelton, both at Joe’s Pub), as well as the fantastic films of the Media that Matters Film Festival, which you can watch online. Before I start gushing about the past, let me gush about the wonderful events happening today and tomorrow.
Tonight Brooklyn Based is presenting the premier of Food, Inc.; it’s currently sold out but there will be standing room seats available starting at 7:45.
More than just a screening, this event is the grand finale of the spring installment of our Drinks on the Doc series. We’ve asked Roebling Tea Room, Sweet Deliverance, McClure’s Pickles and Nunu Chocolatesto whip up some tasty bites for a pre-film reception, and Brooklyn Breweryis providing us with Cuvee de Cardoz and BrooklynSummer Ale, for a pre-film, seasonal beer open bar. After the movie, director Robert Kenner will participate in a Q&A, answering all your burning questions about food politics, ammonia-laced hamburgers and the challenges of documenting the work of huge corporations that don’t want to be documented.
Though this is the Brooklyn premier, Kate1 and F saw a press screening some time ago and tell me that…
It was interesting – you should check it out! The producer (and muckraking journalist/author of Supersize Me), Eric Schlosser, was on the Colbert Report a couple of days ago promoting the film. It’s made by Participant, the same production company that did An Inconvenient Truth.
With that recommendation coming from my favorite world-saving power couple I feel comfortable saying that standing room will be a hot commodity.
Tomorrow night at Don Pedro’s you can see some of the hottest DJs spinning leftfield disco in the big apple- Cowboy Mark, Fucci, Trus’me and Jacques Renault.
Also tomorrow Adult Swim presents the Summer at Santos Series; the fantastic line-up includes Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, the name alone makes them worth investigating, but this video clinches it:
Head to Santos Party House to get in on the action!
I’ll be adding a very intense weekend post shortly as well as the promised details of my recent adventures so stay tuned!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
I have a very busy weekend planned and I’m not even going to half of the events I’d like to go to.
Tonight I will be missing the Brit Boras concert at Pianos I told you about but I urge you to do what I say and not what I do (haha) and dance the night away! I have it on good authority that the cellist is adorable and the music’s good too.
Also tonight, Look Presents Detour: NY’s Premier Film Noir and Arts Festival. Go out to Galapagos for independent film noir, steamy burlesque and all sorts of other “unexpected adventures.”
Ongoing throughout the weekend is the Migrating Forms Film Festival at Anthology Film Archives:
Migrating Forms is the organization that grew out of the New York Underground Film Festival (1993–2008), presenting five days of new experimental film and video.
Here’s the trailer for this year:
On Friday Clay Space 1205 hosts an opening party for their new 11-artist group show from 6-9pm. Ask about their spring classes and ceramic workshops- pottery classes aren’t just for bored housewives afterall!
Clay Space 1205
Friday is also opening night for the Raspberry Brothers at Chelsea Clearview Cinemas! I know I’ve told you about them in the past and now you’ll be able to see them every Friday and Saturday night at midnight! This month their victim is ‘Dirty Dancing’ and you can find me in the audience this Saturday night giggling whilst trying to eat popcorn.
On Friday night I will be rocking out to the tunes of Emanuel and the Fear at Crash Mansion. Here’s their promo video:
On Friday and Saturday you can hear Wynton Marsalis play at Lincoln Center:
Tap dancers Jared Grimes and Dewitt Fleming, Jr. join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalisin “Spaces,” a five-movement tap ballet by artistic director Wynton Marsalis along with the premiere of “Jesse B. Semple Suite,” based on stories by Langston Hughes set to music by JLCO trombonist Vincent Gardner. The “Jesse B. Semple Suite” will feature actors Anthony Thompson Adeagbo and Summer Hill Seven.
Saturday night check out the Cameo Art Gallery in Williamsburg, where Sigmund Droid will be turning up the funk factor with his dirty dance punk.
Sigmund Droid at Cameo Art Gallery
Also on Saturday night there’s an awesome lineup at the Bowery Poetry Club– Paul Muldoon, the Pulitzer Prize winning poetry editor of the New Yorker, is the featured reader and Racket provides the tunes. The late show is !BadAss! Burlesque with Velocity Chyaldd.
!BadAss! Burlesque
Ongoing this month, the ISSUE Project Room is presenting all sorts of experimental madness at Old American Can Factory near the Gowanus Canal, before making their big move to their new digs at 110 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Read what Brooklyn Based has to say about the artists/musicians/performers involved.
P.S. Tickets for the Tribeca Film Festival go on sale to the general public on Monday!
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I hope everyone had a good Monday! I’m sorry I didn’t post earlier; I was down at Southern District for hours dealing with self-important clerks… blah blah blah, I’m sorry. So… we have a great week ahead of us!
Tomorrow Brooklyn Based is hosting their first documentary movie night at the Bell House:
Come watch Jesus Camp, just in time for Easter, and enjoy $3 pints of Fisherman’s Brew and Fisherman’s Navigator from Cape Ann Brewing Co. We’ll be hanging out with BB totes for sale and marshmallow peeps for all our BB peeps. Whether or not you float one in your beer is entirely up to you.
I’ve seen Jesus Camp and, not to get political on you, but it will be a relief to see it without Bush in the White House. Check out the trailer to get a taste:
Also on Tuesday, Inbred Hybrid Collective and Mix NYC present Greased Palms at Parkside Lounge:
A book club burlesque inspired by Please Send Money: A Financial Survival Guide For Young Adults on Their Own, written by Dara Duguay. Get on the path to financial security with a variety show featuring the bizarre, strange, and subversive; including Darlinda Just Darlinda, Jessica Delfino, Devon Gallegos, Kim Harmon, and many more at New York’s Parkside Lounge. With useful and engaging chapters including Credit: It’s Not Your Money, and Bankruptcy-Is There An Easy Way Out? this book is a prime example of a style of book that has become ever more necessary: personal financial advice. With simple, timely advice, these books helped us through the 90s in managing our money and taking control of our debt. What more appropriate subject could we ask for as the first Book Club Burlesque of 2009?
Now, I know I’m always recommending B’s gig at Hugs, but I want to be clear that this Wednesday is going to be better than ever. Excess Energy is spicing things up with ‘Sundae Singles Night.’
Sundae Singles Poster
Go and mingle! Spring is the time to start something new.
If you’re not interested in mingling and happy dance music you can rock out to some great new Punk/Americana at R Bar. One of my friend W’s oldest partners in crime is in town with his band, ‘A Life Worth Living,’ for their first NYC show.
Thursday night Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin will be playing at Mercury Lounge. Check out this video of them playing live:
Looks like a fun show; I for one feel like dancing.
Thursday is also opening night for The Loser’s Lounge Tribute to Dolly Parton at Joe’s Pub.
Dolly Parton
They’re famous for their tributes and now and then the famous people themselves will stop by and sing for their adoring fans.
Have a great week and stay tuned for additions!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
I am very sorry for disappearing from the face of the earth this week. I have been so absurdly, unreasonably ill that I have begun to quote the bitchy girl from ‘Devil Wears Prada’ – “I feel like death warmed up” – whenever anyone asks me. Yesterday my friend T was coming into town so I stayed home from work in the hope that 10 more hours of sleep might fix something in time for me to take her out on the town. It didn’t really but I drugged myself up with decongestants and ibuprofen and took her out to Duane Park for dinner and burlesque (it was my responsibility as a hostess).
Duane Park
Duane Park has free burlesque shows on Friday nights. This is not the sort of burlesque I usually see; I tend towards the variety show/cabaret sort of acts, performances that are closer to comedy than dance. The two lovely ladies who took off their clothes in the stunning arena of Duane Park did so tastefully and with grace and and controlled sensuality. There was nothing vulgar or funny about it. Now the group I was with were probably much more inclined towards seeing beautiful women carefully remove their clothing than I was; it certainly seemed as though they were enjoying themselves. Actually I felt the star of the performance was really Brian Newman– the excellent trumpet player and singer who single-handedly created the speakeasy mood.
One of my companions was taking pictures during the show and I promise to post any particularly lovely shots of the dancers or of Brian Newman when he sends them to me!
This evening I had a prior commitment and therefore pushed myself out of my apartment once again… to attend a special preview wine tasting event being hosted by Brooklyn Based at the Red Hook Winery.
Red Hook Winery
Now to start with I should thank the fabulous people at Brooklyn Based who added a third tasting so that those of us on the wait list could check out this fantastic new winery. To get to said winery I took advantage of the newest form of transportation to hit the big city- The Ikea Water Taxi. I believe from now on I am going to recommend this to tourists as the best free way to see the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan from the water. It is awesome. Hurray Ikea! Even Hopstop will now include the Ikea shuttle buses in its directions! I just hope the Ikea people don’t start charging (I promise to buy something next time I move!).
The space (see above) is beautiful; there are old tin ceilings and everything feels just slightly magical. Certain old buildings are like that; they have good bones. The tasting itself was quite fun; the on-site winemaker, Christopher Nicolson, told us all about the process from choosing the grapes (sometimes sorting by hand) to mixing different batches for interesting blends (E and I both loved one that was mostly merlot but just a bit of several other varieties). There were lots of “10 point words” but while I didn’t follow it all I did find it fascinating and I’m very much looking forward to seeing these bottles in stores.
I will be posting a few events for tomorrow and then a larger post for this week. Please forgive me for my negligence with this weekend’s events; I will try not to get sick again this season!
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I will undoubtedly be posting further events for this week but here are a few to mull over…
If you haven’t checked out the Monday night stand-up comedy at Pete’s Candy Store you should definitely head out there tomorrow. Jennifer Dziura hosts; there are 5 comics, free candy and no cover! She actually read at the In the Flesh Erotic Reading Series last year; check out the video:
I particularly like this line:
I bet half the people in this room, you have sex because you hope you can get somebody to listen to your feelings.
Tuesday check out the not-so-secret secret play space- The House of Yes. As a twist on their usual crafting sessions they’ll be celebrating Mardi Gras by providing materials for the production of masks, or… whatever. As usual at The House of Yes what you create is up to you; it’s the act of creation that’s important!
There are still tickets left for the Natural Wine Dinner that Brooklyn Based is hosting at the Roebling Tea Room on Wednesday! Here’s their blurb about the event:
Our friends at Jenny & Francois Selections are hosting a week of tastings and wine events this month, and we’ve teamed up with them and Roebling Tea Room to give you a chance to break bread, drink wine and listen to several winemakers speak about their methods. Jenny & Francois import natural wines, which are made from grapes grown without chemicals, and produced without sugar, sulfites or any other additives. Wines made in this style reflect the quality of the grapes, the land, the weather and the skill of the winemaker with unparalleled purity and character.
On Thursday there are two fantastic events that you should consider carefully. The first is at BAM; ‘Shuffle Mode’ is a night of musical convergence.
Michael Christie and the Brooklyn Philharmonic host a night with progressive indie rock bands Bell Orchestre and Clogs in an exciting musical dialogue that defies the expectations for classical concert programming.
I expect this to be a brilliant musical experience; if you’re interested you should get your ticket ASAP.
The second Thursday event appeals to the environmentalist in us all; Clearwater is having a benefit at the Brooklyn Brewery. The Hudson River Sloop (aka boat) is an environmental classroom on the water; the idea is that with direct access to the river people will feel more connected and committed to its protection. The organization also promotes sound environmental policy and fights polluters. This benefit will raise money to allow public school students in Brooklyn to partake of these wonderful educational river outings.
Brooklyn Brewery Clearwater Benefit Poster
I’ll be posting more as the week progresses!
The Big Red Apple 