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Big changes will be coming to TheBigRedApple next week; www.thebigredapple.net is still in Beta version (as Google would say) but once it’s ready to go I’ll be writing to you from my very own domain!
This weekend is chock full of excellent events. Be sure to check my previous post for fun stuff happening tonight and tomorrow. Plus, a quick addition for tonight, if you won’t be able to make it to the Excess Energy party at Hugs Thursday you can check out Brian Blackout at Fontana’s tonight; he’ll be spinning a lot of 70’s arena rock, funk, psychedelia and indie rock- sounds like a party to me!
It turns out that Mayor Bloomberg is the one who dubbed this Good Beer Month! Go out and celebrate his stroke of genius Thursday night at Pacific Standard, where they’re having an Epic New York State Beer Throwdown, featuring (according to Brooklyn Based):
beers from Keegan Ales,Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Ithaca Brewery, and Lake Placid Brewery, as well as our very own Kelso of Brooklyn and Sixpoint Craft Ales.
Friday night Rooftop Films takes the show the the ground (the lawn of Automotive High School in Wburg) for Animation Block Party! They’re “dedicated to exhibiting the world’s best independent, professional and student animation,” and they’ve definitely followed through in the past. This is going to be a fantastic show, full of comedy and drama and animation in all sorts of styles.
If you’re looking for a classic film join kids of all ages in Hudson River Park for a screening of Ghostbusters! Check out the trailer to remind yourself of just how great it is:
On Saturday night you can go to the rave you always dreamed of attending- FIXED is coming back to the basement of the Tribeca Grand! Guest DJs Riton, Lemonade and Free Energy will keep you dancing all night long!
Also on Saturday Indian Idol Kailash Kher will be rocking the Prospect Park Bandshell! His music is described as “adding elements of folk, reggae and rock to Indian pop” and he definitely looks like he knows how to put on a show.
On Sunday, for a change of pace from all the beer celebrations, celebrate pork at 3rd Ward’s 2nd Annual Pig Roast and Dance Party! Butchers from Marlow & Sons will be slicing and dicing for your culinary enjoyment (there will also be beer, don’t worry). Here’s an impressive (and kind of gross) image from last year’s event:
3rd Ward's Pig Roast and Dance Party 2008
Sunday night finish off your weekend with Our Lady J: Gospel for the Godless at Joe’s Pub:
Our Lady J is a New York based singer/songwriter known for her visionary gospel stylings and powerhouse pianistic skills. Along with her “Pink Champagne Orchestra” and “Train-To-Kill Gospel Choir,” she has sold out crowds at The Zipper Factory, Ars Nova, The Beechman Theatre, as well as world venues including London’s prestigious South Bank Centre and the Spiegeltent (in Manchester, UK). She has also traveled the globe as music director and arranger for Justin Bond’s recent original song cycles. This year, Out Magazine named her as one of the “Out 100,” a list of the people who helped shape LGBT culture in 2008.
On Monday MetroMetro is hosting the 3rd Board Game Olympics at Union Hall; games include Trivial Pursuit, Jenga, Uno, Battleship, Connect Four, Memory and Operation! Sign up in advance and use those skills your parents said were useless!
Stay tuned for additions and have a great weekend!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
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.
Also on Tuesday you can embrace your inner geek at the launch party for a new weekly movie night at Teneleven– Classic Kung Fu Movie Night!
On Wednesday those of you who are amongst the funemployed can further your education with a walking tour of the East Village focusing on the grittier side of its history:
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!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great Monday. I am in full LSAT study mode (or at least I should be) so I won’t be able to attend many events until after June 8th but I will certainly tell you all about them and hopefully live vicariously through you!
Tonight you have a choice between indie rock, a tribute to The Bed In and a night of neuroscience!
First, if you missed the Heliotropes concert I told you about last week you have another chance to check them out tonight. They’ll be playing at Public Assemblywith Ancient Sky and Beloved Rogue.
If the term The Bed In means something to you, you should undoubtedly be at the Gershwin Hotel tonight where Neke Carson and Michael Wiener will be presenting “Give Peace a Chance”:
Book launch benefit celebrating the 40th anniversary of John and Yoko’s historic Bed In. With a Give Peace a Song Cabaret. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of John and Yoko’s famous Bed-in for Peace 1969 in Montreal. Get a sneak preview of the photo exhibition that will open May 26 in Liverpool. Launch Joan Athey’s new book. Brooklyn-born photographer Gerry Deiter, on assignment for Life Magazine was the only photographer there the entire eight days. Special guests Guitar Legend Gary Lucas and composer Steven Lynch will be on hand to add to the proceedings plus more surprise quests. The Cabaret includes a presentation of Bed-in images, a reading from eye-witnesses to the recording of Give Peace A Chance, a special guest — writer Charles Childs (who worked with Alex Haley on Roots) presents excerpts from his unpublished interview with the couple. Climb into bed and talk peace like John and Yoko did. Local musicians rock the room with their favorite John Lennon songs. This is also a fundraiser for music writer Paul Williams. He sustained a head injury in 1995 while cycling and needs 24 hour care for the dementia that has recently manifested itself.
John & Yoko Bed In
Finally, at the Bell House tonight the Secret Science Club will be meeting to discuss recent developments in neuroscience on the topic of memory.
Dr. Arancio is a cellular neurobiologist at Columbia University’s Department of Pathology and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain. In his lab at Columbia University, neuroscientist Ottavio Arancio explores the molecular mechanisms of memory formation.
Settle down in the comfy couches and learn about the workings of your brain (or at least the cells you didn’t kill with tequila last week).
On Wednesday you can satisfy all your local food/wine cravings in one place- Brooklyn Uncorked at the spectacular Brooklyn Academy of Music at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene. This lovely event is run by the trio of Edible Publications and features wine from local wineries including:
Baiting Hollow, Bedell/Corey Creek, Bouké, Bridge Vineyards, Brooklyn Oeneology, Castello di Borghese, Channing Daughters, Clovis Point, Diliberto, Grapes of Roth, Harbes, Lieb, Long Island Merlot Alliance, Macari, Old Field, Osprey’s Dominion, Palmer, Raphael, Roanoke, Sherwood House, Shinn, Sparkling Pointe, Waters Crest, Wölffer Estate
as well as food from:
Amy’s Cookies, Bodum, Bridge Winery, Buttermilk Channel, DiPalo’s, Fizzy Lizzy, Get Fresh, Great Performances, iCi, North Fork Potato Chips, NuNu Chocolates, Palo Santo, Plowshares Coffee, Rick’s Picks, SerendipiTea, Stonehome Wine Bar, The Farm on Adderley, The Smoke Joint, Vere Chocolate, Wine Cellar Sorbets
Get your tickets here!
Also on Wednesday, Wye Oak will be playing at Mercury Lounge along with the Pomegranates and Winter Gloves. Check out the video for Please Concrete:
B is a big fan of Wye Oak but he won’t be able to attend because he will be spinning at Hugs. I am pleased to announce that Sunday Singles was a big hit (it was written up in Gothamist amongst other lovely blogs) and Excess Energy is bringing you Love Machine:
On Thursday there will be a reception at the Brenda Taylor Gallery for their new exhibit- the Love Armor Project. Check out their website for the history, as far as I’m concerned this picture says it all:
Also on Thursday you can check out the second Puppet Playlist- Magnetic Fields at The Tank Theater.
Puppet Playlist takes talented puppeteers and brilliant musicians and slams them together into an evening of live theater to stir the senses. Our second Playlist will feature new works of puppetry set to a litany of love songs by The Magnetic Fields. Between sets, hear new interpretations of Magnetic Fields music — on cello, accordion, guitar and more. A chance to see some of New York’s most interesting puppet artists and musicians at play. Performers (and their work) have been seen all over New York and throughout the world, on, off- and off-off-Broadway, at Here Arts Center, Shakespeare in the Park, the Metropolitan Opera, FringeNYC, Lincoln Center, with Jim Henson Productions, and on both American and International TV (yes, that includes the Muppets). Featuring pieces by: Eric Wright, Melissa Creighton, Marta Mozelle MacRostie, Ithai Benjamin, Darragh Martin, Maja Rajenovich, and Mary Robinette Kowal and Jodi Eichelberger. Musical performers include: Hannah Temple, Matt Singer, Emily Hope, Anna Leuchtenberger, Jon Levin, Jo Williamson.
There are two shows but they will sell out so be sure to reserve here.
A few early weekend announcements…
Friday night, weather permitting, there will be telescope observation at the Columbia observatory. Regardless of cloudy skies there will be a lecture, The Good the Bad and the Ugly- Astronomy in the Media, by Jackie Faherty.
On Saturday I am already torn between three events (who knows what I’ll do when I discover even more!). First, there’s a roller derby match well worth seeing- Brooklyn Bombshells take on Manhattan Mayhem at the Hunter College Sportsplex. Check out this video from last season!
Also on Saturday Finger on the Pulse presents Louis La Roche, Justin Faust and Danger at Studio B. B is a major fan so I can guarantee this will be an awesome dance party!
Last but not least, The Wet Spots have a late show at Joe’s Pub. They are described as “vaudevillian, oversexed, and weirdly Canadian: think sex club by way of Monty Python.” I was deeply skeptical until I watched this video and now I’m kind of hooked:
Have a wonderful week and stay tuned for additions!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
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’m not quite 100% yet but I am ready to get you excited about the week ahead! Tonight there are 2 events worth considering. First, my dear friend B is part of a very exciting lineup at Beauty Bar tonight! The honorable judges Gant and Eugene Tambourine will be presiding over a disco and house-centric dance floor, so go out and get your groove on; it’s the best way to start the week!
Tenderheads Poster
Also tonight Slice Magazine is hosting a Literary Trivia Showdown at Dixon Place:
To celebrate the launch of our fourth issue, Slice is hosting its first annual Literary Trivia Showdown. Three teams of five authors, five editors, and five agents will go head-to-head to see who knows the most about the literary realm.
English majors unite!
On Tuesday, I may head down to the Seaport to check out the new musical based on the (in)famous DSM IV Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, which I mentioned to you some time ago. ‘Crazy Head Space’ is about half way through its run; don’t miss your chance to check out the madness!
For less umm… absurd music, check out Micachu and the Shapes tomorrow at Death by Audio in Williamsburg.
If you want to dance to an older tune you can kick up your heels at Swing46, where George Gee and the Jump Jivin’ Wailers will be throwing a Swinging Big Band Dance Party.
On Wednesday B will be spinning out at Hugs; he’s by his lonesome this week so there will be nonstop happy dance music.
Thursday is opening night for the Folding Chair Classical Theater; they will be presenting a very unique version of Shakespeare’s Pericles:
Folding Chair veteran James Arden (“30 Rock”, “Kings”, “Flight of the Concords”) will play Pericles. The rest of the play’s 30-plus roles will be played by five of Folding Chair’s ensemble players (Lisa Blankenship, Gowan Campbell, Francine Margolis, Josh Thelinand Larry Giantonio). They will switch roles at lightning speed, performing on a bare stage, using only their voices, bodies and the text to bring the play to life.
Also on Thursday you can experience a reading series in a very new and different setting- a laundromat!
Gregory Beyer, Itzak Saki Knafo, and Caroline H. Dworin, three regulars in the pages of the New York Times’ City Section will share their most hilarious, nail biting tales from their days scouring the city for stories. These journalists walk through caution tape, find hidden doors, gleefully pick through trash, and always have a flask; all for the love of the story. What better place to hear their tales too outrageous for the Old Gray Lady than a Lower East Side Laundromat. Bring your laundry and the producers will provide quarters, detergent, and stain removal advice gratis. You won’t loose your shirt (no guarantee on the socks) on this one.
Dirty Laundry Reading Series
ALSO on Thursday… If you are Sports inclined (I am not at all but am aware that other people seem to enjoy watching/participating in them), you should check out 12 Angry Mascots – NYC’s Only Sports Comedy Variety Talk Show. One of the Raspberry Brothers is part of the act, which is an excellent sign in my book. The show also features Comedy Central’s Liam McEneaney, Last Comic Standing’s Iliza Shlesinger, and NY Jet’s All-Pro safety KERRY RHODES.
I also want to make a couple of early weekend announcements. On Saturday you can enjoy an evening of Jazz, absinthe and champagne infused chocolate at Antik.
Wit's End Party
This month the Wit’s End Party, a fabulous soiree worth buying that new dress for, will also include music from the Red Hook Ramblers and handmade chocolates from Chocolats Meurens.
Finally, I am thrilled to announce that the Tiny Ninja Theater will be performing Treasure Island this Sunday at the Bowery Poetry Club. This show will be markedly different from their usual productions but I am certain that these talented performers will come up with some very unique and exciting ways of telling this classic adventure story.
Have a great week and stay tuned for additions!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
I’m feeling a tiny bit under the weather at the moment so you will have to forgive the brevity of this post. I’ve had several adventures worth relating this week.
On Monday I went to the Purim comedy act at the 92Y Tribeca, which I told you about in a previous post. I particularly liked the sketch modeled on ‘High School Musical.’ At the end the boy goes off with the girl against the wishes of his friends…
Girl: Oh no, you are going to leave those lousy friends of yours and go and do your school work. AND you are going to Medical School!
Boy: I have to go guys, I’ve been searching for a woman to replace my mother for my whole life!
You can watch clips of Shushan Channel’s sketches on their website.
On Wednesday I finally got around to seeing a film that was part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Series, which I mentioned some time ago. I saw ‘The Joy of Singing’ at the IFC and it was truly French in every sense you can imagine. My friend L was not a big fan but she’s not nearly as much of a francophile as I am. If you missed the series check your Netflix- some of them will probably come out on DVD sometime soon-ish.
I also saw B spin at Hugs that night (I told you about this in advance as well); he was fantastic as always and while we couldn’t get much dancing going I have high hopes for next time since it’ll be warmer and more people will be willing to move from their warm apartments.
Friday night my friend M was having a ‘Blue Velvet‘ party so I wasn’t able to attend any other events. Afterall, I wouldn’t want to miss blue velvet cupcakes and crazy sadistic sex scenes (oh David Lynch!)!
Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini in 'Blue Velvet'
Saturday afternoon my grandmother and I saw ‘Happiness’- a new musical now playing at Lincoln Center. It was adorable and heartwarming and altogether lovely, certainly not ground-breaking, but lovely.
HAPPINESS unfolds the stories of a dozen or so New Yorkers stuck in the morning rush of a stalled subway car and required by the spectral trainman to recall and re-enact the happiest moment in their lives before they can continue their travels… and travails.
HAPPINESS celebrates those fleeting moments in everyday lives — typically unanticipated, largely overlooked, always ephemeral — that upon reflection become people’s fondest memories
Saturday night I saw the Young New Yorkers Chorus perform (mentioned this to you earlier). They were fantastic and I found the melodies, which are apparently based on ‘ancient chants’ to be very similar to some of the chants Jewish prayers are set to. I would be interested to look into the correlation further.
I’m off for the moment but I promise to get back to you with this week’s events shortly.
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
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I am limiting this post to Mon-Wed as I haven’t yet pulled together a sufficient selection of events for Thurs (please forgive me; I’m still a bit exhausted from the last week).
Tonight there are several fantastic events to consider. If you’ve never celebrated Purim properly this is the year to embrace your inner Jew. The 92Y Tribeca is having a Purim party worth converting for (or at least worth practicing your kvetching):
Battlestar Megilactica. Frost/Haman. Hebrew School Musical. Join The Shushan Channel for its seventh hit year. Featuring all-new pop-culture Purim takes by writers from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Simpsons, Frasier and more, this year’s extravaganza will be headlined by The Daily Show’s Wyatt Cenac, John Oliver and New York’s most-Purimtastic comic talent. Warm up for the show by entering our costume contest and you could win free tickets to 92YTribeca events. Get your grogger on and stuff yourself with Chef Russell’s gourmet hamantaschen. This is one party you won’t want to miss.
Now that sounds much more exciting than Lent.
If your inner art enthusiast is stronger than your inner Jew check out MOMA Monday Nights:
One Monday a month, MoMA stays open until 8:45 p.m. Drop in after hours on March 9 for an art hunt, exhibitions, films, entertainment, cash bar, and a bite to eat at Cafe 2—plus the first 600 ticket buyers after 5:30 p.m. will receive free admission on their next visit. On our Museum-wide art hunt (starts at 7:00 p.m.), rediscover the collection and compete for prizes including a private guided tour at MoMA, benefit party tickets, and exhibition catalogues.
Be sure not to miss the special exhibition Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective (through May 11). A highlight is Kippenberger’s sculptural installation The Happy End of Franz Kafka’s “Amerika” (1994). Reimagining a scene toward the end of Kafka’s unfinished 1927 novel, it fills the Museum’s Marron Atrium with a vast, absurdist employment agency, in which the ritual of the job interview becomes a spectator sport.
Entry to Modern Mondays, the Museum’s weekly series of screenings with contemporary filmmakers that showcases innovation in film, is included in the cost of admission. On March 9, the Modern Mondays event will be An Evening with Jan Sikl and Ivan Passer, a film screening and conversation with two noted Czech directors, at 7:00 p.m. in the Roy and Niuta Titus 2 Theater.
Also tonight; Sarah Barron will be reading from her first book- People Are Unappealing at The Half King :
Unappealing people are everywhere. And they, like herpes, never ever go away. PEOPLE ARE UNAPPEALING, Sara Barron’s wickedly funny debut, spares no one—not even the author herself. Born the child of a hypochondriac mother and an effeminate father, Barron never stood a chance of being normal. At age eleven she started writing porn. At twelve she gets mistaken for a post-op trannie. By seventeen she’s appeared on the Jerry Springer Show.
On Tuesday you can demonstrate what you learned in your High School English Class at Union Hall. Mother Tongue: Spelling and Grammar for Grown-Ups is sure to become more and more absurd as the night (and the drinking) continues.
Also on Tuesday, SW has forwarded me a truly unique event- a performance of Balinese Shadow Puppetry and Masked Dance at Hunter College.
Balinese Shadow Puppetry and Masked Dance
If that’s not your thing later in the evening George Gee and the Jump, Jivin Wailers will be performing at SWING46 Jazz & Supper Club.
On Wednesday get down to a very different beat at Hugs, where my friends Excess Energy will be spinning; celebrate the gorgeous weather with some warm-blooded selections by guest DJ Eugene Tambourine (Solid) and resident DJ Brian Blackout.
Excess Energy at Hugs
Finally, some advance notice: Jeffrey Tastes has pulled together a great list of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations taking place in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned for more events this week!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
Here are a few additions to my previous post:
On Tuesday the lovely ladies of Medicine Woman will be playing at Spike Hill. Their unique version of rhythm and blues is augmented by a talented friend of mine from NYU who plays a mean fiddle.
Medicine Woman
They will also be playing at the aforementioned benefit for Clearwater on Thursday.
On Wednesday my friend B (aka DJ Brian Blackout) will be spinning at Hugs with Eugene Tambourine. It’s going to be fantastic and Hugs has an awesome dance floor so please make your way out to Williamsburg and rock out this Wednesday (trust me it will make the week go by faster).
Finally, I’d like to add an ongoing event that my friend Anindita tells me is well worth checking out- The Hank Willis Thomas exhibit showing until March 14th at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea.
Much of the work focuses on the use of African American male body in advertisements. I am interested in the connection between this body type and the cotton and slave trade industries that brought this country so much wealth.
Hank Willis Thomas- Branded Head
Be sure to check that out before it closes and stay tuned for more of this week’s events!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
St. Hallmark day is fast approaching and I have yet to come up with a game plan. Even on the (admittedly rare) occasions that I have been in a relationship on Valentine’s Day I’ve found this a difficult challenge. I don’t really go in for $150 “Romantic Tasting Menus” or jewelry in poor taste (for goodness sakes gentlemen- what were you thinking?). The truly romantic gestures (moonlight, rose petals, home cooked meals, a signed copy of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’) seem forced when they’re being performed on such a commercialized occasion. I am simply too cynical to suspend my disbelief, even when I am in love.
This year I am not in love, which means my options break down into the following four categories:
The Angry Event
These are events somehow based around a cynical dislike of romance, love, couples, the jewelry industry, the flower industry, the chocolate industry and especially Hallmark. In general these become anti-consumerist more than anything else. Beware of people drinking themselves into a stupor and/or trying to bitch about their ex’s to anyone within shouting range. Here are a few to consider:
- The Personal Media Mixer & Confessional Culture Variety Show @ Housing Works Bookstore- the memoirs are only 6 minutes long, some of them will be sung and the $ goes to a great cause. Housing Works is really a fantastic organization and if you’re going to be angry this Feb. 14th, this is a productive place for it!
- For a pre-Vday burst of anger head to Desert Island in Williamsburg Friday night to hear Koren Shadmi read from her new book ‘In the Flesh,’ a collection of macabre short stories about the perils of dating in Brooklyn.
- Ex-orcism Anti-Valentine’s Day Party @ Pourhouse– bring a photo of your ex and put it on the dart board; if you hit a bullseye your drinks are on the house!
The Singles Event
This is often some form of speed dating designed to help you find someone to be “romantic” with by the end of the night. Most of the people present are desperate, lonely and horny so attendance is really only advisable if you are also all three of those things. If you’re lucky there will be that one person who is attractive and dorky in the right way and miraculously feels the same way about you, in which case all you have to worry about is how to tell your friends you met at a singles event without sounding lame. In general however you’re more likely to end up in a room full of unattractive women trying not to look desperate and skeevy men trying to look classy. However, if you are feeling optimistic, check these out:
- Valentine’s Day @ Dewey’s Flatiron- you receive half a playing card at the door and if you can find the person with the other half you both get a free drink.
- Pull on some “formal attire” and head over to the posh Hudson Terrace for a Single’s Ball.
Solidarity
A bunch of friends hitting the town and trying to pretend it’s not Valentine’s Day! This can go splendidly, just as any night on the town can go splendidly. It can also devolve into a group therapy session in which you all cry about being alone and how hard it is to meet people and how you’re afraid you’ll never manage to sustain a relationship (do you really want to?). Judge your group carefully to determine if your outcome is likely to be positive and be careful not to end up at a bar that’s having some kind of “romantic special”. Some safe spots to get down with your girls:
- The Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival at BAM continues with Japanther and Ninjasonik, who are both likely to “shake the stage prodigiously.”
- Valentine’s Death Prom @ Studio B- the name is enough of a reason!
Home Alone
Stay home, eat grilled cheese, watch an action movie and don’t feel sorry for yourself. Ok, try not to feel sorry for yourself. Don’t think about your ex’s (or who they’re with now) and please please don’t think about that guy you’re sort of seeing (and don’t call him). To make this option a bit more positive try turning it into a romantic solo evening- think a long hot bath with marvelous bath products from Lee-lai (available at Sustainable NYC and Greenhouse Essentials and on their website) and some exquisite chocolate from Vosges.
Please try your best to enjoy St. Hallmark day! Let me know what you end up doing and be sure to add any events you hear about in advance!
P.S. If you’re free tonight check out my friends Excess Energy @ Hugs!
The Big Red Apple 