You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Roller Derby’ tag.
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
It is so lovely outside today that I almost don’t want to be indoors writing to you, however, I would be a terrible blogger if I failed to inform you of some of the wonderful events the Big Apple has to offer this weekend.
First, an addition to tonight’s lineup; a new exhibit is opening at Mixed Greens– X 10th Anniversary Exhibition:
With X, we present a large selection of the many amazing artists with whom we’ve been privileged to work. Their techniques and subject matter vary widely, but all of these artists captured our attention either by their extraordinary use of materials or through their deep examination and investigation of their subjects. There is no theme uniting the 84 participating artists—the only common denominator is Mixed Greens. Some might call it narcissistic. Others nostalgic. We consider it to be a celebration of some of the best artists working today.
I’ve heard tell that the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck will also be there!
If you’ve never been to a Contra Dance event you should experience the madness Friday night at the LGBT Community Center; this event will have the added twist of being “gender neutral.” There are a lot of twists in contra already, that one makes this a true ‘only-in-New-York’ event.
Contra Dancers
If you’re looking for a nice way to enjoy the evening outdoors you can enjoy a childhood favorite on the shore of the Hudson River; The Wizard of Oz will be screening on Pier 46!
Inside, and a bit further north, The Raspberry Brothers will be tearing apart the 80s classic Pretty in Pink! This is a must see if you’re going to attend the Pretty in Pink Prom Saturday night (keep reading for details). I guarantee their antics will give you excellent cocktail conversation.
So, The Prom, well, Pretty in Pink Prom Night is happening Saturday night at The Bell House (where else?). It’s going to be an epic nostalgia trip complete with a “totally radical giant 80s prom backdrop,” in front of which you can have your prom pictures professionally shot, a “50 foot balloon drop” AND “bathrooms stocked with Aqua Net for heavy primping.” Not to mention one of the best 80s cover bands available- The Engagements! Get out there and have the prom you always dreamed of!
Also on Saturday it’s Bronx Gridlock vs. Brooklyn Bombshells at the Hunter College Sportsplex! If you haven’t made it out to a Gotham Girls Roller Derby bout this year, this is a great time to go!
ALSO on Saturday Rooftop Films is screening a movie at The Old American Can Factory- 45365 won Best Documentary at SXSW 2009:
45365 captures the plain pathos of a single place like few other films ever do. It is amusing and informative, exciting and realistic, tragic and eternal. But as I said, this synopsis is inadequate. To get at these emotions and ideas, you could live all your life in Sidney, Ohio, or you could see this film.
The Oberlin band Like Bells will perform before the screening; my little sister is currently an Oberlin student so all things Oberlin have a special place in my heart.
Of course I’m also a tremendous francophile so I may have to celebrate Bastille Day on Saturday. There are a number of celebrations in the city; my pick is the Petanque Tournament at Cornichon. Petanque is sort of like frenchified bocce ball; there will also be lots of wine and good cheer!
Libertie! Egalitie! Fraternitie!
On Sunday you can continue to embrace your inner francophile at Le Poisson Rouge, where they will be screening one of the most influential French films of the French New Wave- The 400 Blows. François Truffaut‘s masterpiece gives you an intimate look into the Paris of the 1950s.
Also on Sunday you can swing under the stars with George Gee’s Big Band at Moondance on Pier 54!
Monday is the start of the Metropolitan Opera’s Summer Series; Paulo Szot, Lisette Oropesa, Alek Shrader, and Vlad Iftinca will be performing on Central Park’s Summerstage. If you can’t get any of the free tickets for this event check out the performances in the outer boroughs throughout the week.
Also on Monday, Wilco will be performing in Keyspan Park; Yo La Tengo will open. Check out this video:
Have a marvelous weekend and stay tuned for additions!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
Don’t let the nasty weather prevent you from getting out tonight! It may very well be the best night to go out this week as there are 3 very different but equally awesome events taking place!
First off, I will be attending a St. Mark’s Bookshop reading at Solas; Andrei Codrescu will read from ‘The Posthuman Dada Guide’:
The Posthuman Dada Guide is an impractical handbook for practical living in our posthuman world–all by way of examining the imagined 1916 chess game between Tristan Tzara, the daddy of Dada, and V. I. Lenin, the daddy of communism. This epic game at Zurich’s Café de la Terrasse–a battle between radical visions of art and ideological revolution–lasted for a century and may still be going on, although communism appears dead and Dada stronger than ever. As the poet faces the future mass murderer over the chessboard, neither realizes that they are playing for the world. Taking the match as metaphor for two polesof twentieth- and twenty-first-century thought, politics, and life, Andrei Codrescu has created his own brilliantly Dadaesque guide to Dada–and to what it can teach us about surviving our ultraconnected present and future.
The Roller Derby season has begun (the next match is the 16th!); if you want to be an informed spectator head to Barbes tonight where the Brooklyn Independent Cinema Series presents ‘Hell on Wheels’:
HELL ON WHEELS documents the birth of the rollergirl revolution and chronicles the creation of the first modern-era women’s roller derby league, the Lonestar Rollergirls and their rival breakaway league, the Texas Rollergirls.
If you happen to be polyamorous and you want the world to know, head over to the Slipper Room tonight where the Polyamory Party will be filmed for MTV’s award-winning docuseries True Life: I’m Polyamorous. There will be burlesque (one of my favorite performers- Anita Cookie, will be there!), burlesque hula hooping (!), spoken word performances, a crazy light show and of course you’ll get to mingle with other members of the sex-positive community.
Anita Cookie
If you missed out on the Kentucky Derby party at the Bell House on Saturday (I was there; it was awesome and I will tell you all about it shortly) there’s another awesome event there on Tuesday- Guactacular AND the Sudden Death Gameshow! Restaurants will compete for the title of best guacamole and you’re the judge, plus it’s free! At the same time contestants will compete in a form of Jeopardy that also happens to involve drinking. Sounds like the best way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
On Wednesday experience the work of controversial Yiddish writers at Symphony Space:
Funny, surprising, and poignant stories by controversial Yiddish writers who sometimes scandalized their mainstream critics. Isaiah Shefferperforms “Gimpel the Fool” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, John Shea performs Moishe Nadir’s “My First Love,” and Laura Estermanperforms Sholem Asch’s “A Quiet Garden Spot.”
Also on Wednesday The Coral Universitat de les Illes Balears will perform at St. John the Divine as part of the Catalan Days festival, which is being presented this month by the Institut Ramon Llull. The events showcase a variety of creative talent from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, including music, dance and drama, at a number of venues in the city. Check out their calendar of events and find one that appeals to you!
On Thursday check out Max Tundra and the Junior Boys at Webster Hall. Here’s the video for Junior Boys’ single ‘In the Morning’:
Have a great Monday and stay tuned for additions!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
First of all can we just stop and freak out for a minute that it’s going to be in the EIGHTIES this weekend?! My uncle called me and reminded me to clean my air conditioner’s filter before turning it on (you should too)! In other words, you should get outside as much as possible this weekend!
I told you all about my wonderful picnic in Prospect Park last weekend and the subsequent rambling through the Cherry Orchard in the Botanic Garden; those would both be excellent activities for this weekend as well.
If you’re a fan of beautiful old villas and landscaped gardens overlooking the Palisades and you’ve never been up to Wave Hill this is certainly the perfect weekend to check it out. There are various events for Arbor Day happening, including tours of the gardens where wild flowers, magnolias and lilacs are in bloom. The views are dramatic and there’s a lovely Sunday brunch buffet (make your reservation by 4pm today).
Wave Hill
Another great outdoor activity- join New York Like a Native on a walking tour of a part of Brooklyn you don’t know well or that you think you know well. You’ll learn something new about the history of your area and most of the tours include a treat (like a beer or an ice cream cone).
For a somewhat more active learning experience you can participate in a crazy scavenger hunt on the LES with the Anthropologists on Sunday. When did you last go searching for clues downtown?
If you want your sunshine with art on the side the TOAST is for you:
The TriBeCa Open Artist Studio Tour is a free, self-guided tour of approximately 100 artists’ studios throughout TriBeCa. Bringing artists and the public together, it provides an opportunity for visitors to interact with the artists and see their artwork at the source, the artist’s own studio. An artist-run organization, TOAST has led a true metropolitan “grass roots” path. It began as an ad-hoc group of artists who wanted to revive a neighborhood art walk. Now a not-for-profit organization, it is still a grass roots effort, run by the participating artists. Neighborhood businesses and supporters supplement most of the needed funds not covered by the artists’ entry fees.
When you’re ready to step indoors there are several fantastic exhibits worth checking out. First, the exhbit of Picasso’s later works at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea has gotten fantastic reviews.
Picasso at the Gagosian Gallery
A new exhibit at the Met, “The Pictures Generation, 1974-1984,” has also received some good buzz. Thirty artists from the Boomer Generation are represented by 160 works in all media.
They were all making art that combined elements of Pop and Conceptualism with social concerns about consumerism, political power and gender. Their work kept ideas to the fore but rematerialized them as images. Many of those images were photographic, extracted from everyday life, a life that was increasingly a creation of media culture, as Andy Warhol well knew.
This piece, by David Salle, sparked my interest and I’m hoping to check it out in person sometime soon.
David Salle- 'The Coffee Drinkers'
Tonight is the opening of a much more contemporary artist’s exhibit at 3rd Ward; check out the work of Poster Boy, which is now being endorsed by the advertisers!
A piece by Poster Boy
Also tonight, you can party for a cause at Montien’s, where there will be great drink specials to raise money to shoot the pilot episode of “Foreign Bound” : A travel-reality show that focuses on inspiring and educating the younger demographic and aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and effective communication between borders.
There’s a great line-up tonight at Crash Mansion, including new releases from Musiciens Sans Frontieres and Josephine. RSVP to NewYorkUnderbelly for reduced admission.
Saturday night get a double dose of soul with Dig Deeper and yummy soul food at Five Spot Soul Food; get your tickets here.
Friday and Saturday at BAM you can see St. Matthews Passion– an incredible operatic piece by Bach. There are only stage seats remaining so get yours right away!
Also at BAM Saturday is the 10th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival: The New Cookers:
A swinging hard bop jazz quintet—born out of the tradition of the late, great jazz genius Freddie Hubbard—The New Cookers are known for their driving rhythms and engaging performances, celebrating the original Brooklyn jazz music makers and adding their own sound to that rich legacy.
On Sunday you can get a hefty dose of Shakespeare for free at Symphony Space, where the Classic Stage Company will be presenting Shakespeare Birthday Marathon 2009.
And don’t forget about the improv comedy festival at the Creek LIC that I mentioned earlier, not to mention the first roller derby game of the season and the Wit’s End Jazz Party, both of which I also detailed previously.
Have an amazing weekend 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 for one had a spectacular weekend and I hope you did as well! I’ll be posting tales of my exploits later today after I upload pictures from my camera. For the moment, let us turn to the exciting week ahead!
Tonight at the American Museum of Natural History the author of “Death From the Skies! These Are the Ways the World Will End,” Phil Plait, will be lecturing on cosmic catastrophes that could befall us and what we can do to protect ourselves.
Also tonight you can experience underground cabaret at the Night Hotel:
Lee Chappell, the man behind the wildest nights at the Roxy and the Palladium, returns to New York nightlife with underground cabaret ~ Foreign Affairs ~ after an elective decade in the shadows. Co-hosted every Monday evening by Isengart, darling of the German cabaret scene, and Lady Rizo, famed comedienne and chanteuse, FOREIGN AFFAIRS features an ever-changing array of the city’s best new and vintage performers, musicians, and drag spectaculars.
Isengart and Lady Rizo
On Tuesday you have a chance to check out The Woes– the band I raved about recently. They’ll be playing a multitude of instruments at Union Hall. Enjoy the tunes, play some boccie ball and browse the absurd collection of books decorating the area.
Wednesday is the first day of the Tribeca Film Festival; if you don’t have tickets to any of the films, or if you prefer things that are free, go over to the SoHo Apple Store where Spike Lee will be discussing Passing Strange, which brings the hit Broadway rock musical to the screen, and Kobe Doin’ Work, his documentary about Kobe Bryant. Both films screen at Tribeca.
On Thursday you can experience the first Sci-Fi Puppet Storytelling Hour presented by Sick Little Productions at the Under St. Mark’s Theater:
The Outer Puppets is the premier episode of a sci-fi puppet storytelling hour set in the future of low budget public theater. Three stories are told in one bizarre night of live Puppet Theater with live music. Our first story, Official Probe, explores the cavernous gap between what officials want us to know, what the truth is, and what the hell the Machine actually does. The second piece, The Pet Light Bulb, offers a glimpse of what happens when bioluminescents attack. The final tale, Digi-Lounger, propels us into the distant future when humans no longer have contact with anything except a giant digital butt plug. See what happens when an escaped experimental joins the party. The show is hosted (and rudely commented on) by two junk robots from the outer rim (of Brooklyn). Live music composed and performed by Dan Sullivan and Naa Koshie Mills of the Disclaimers. Featuring Ann Gillespie, Michael Gravison, Jason Griffith, Jonathan Harford, Richard Hinojosa, Lindsay MacNaughton and Danielle Thorburn. Directed by Jason Griffith and Richard Hinojosa. Written by Richard Hinojosa.
Also on Thursday Discovery will be playing at Union Pool in Williamsburg. I heard them play at the Cameo Art Gallery on New Years Eve and K and I absolutely fell in love with the singer- Kathleen Cholewka. She has great stage presence and really energizes the crowd.
Discovery Live @ Cameo Art Gallery
A couple of early weekend announcements…
Saturday is the start of the roller derby season! Go to Hunter College Sportsplex for the Championship Rematch- Queens of Pain vs. Bronx Gridlock!
Also on Saturday the Wit’s End Jazz Age party is back at Antik! Their last event, which I posted for your consideration, was a big success and what with Baby Soda playing hot jazz tunes and Akemi Kinukawa of Sandra Cameron Dance Center offering a FREE group lindy lesson I imagine this one will be even better!
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!
If you haven’t made plans yet for tonight here are two events worth considering…
NYC’s 8th Annual Juggling Festival hits Pratt this weekend; check out the show spectacular tonight or head over there tomorrow for juggling workshops and games!
You may remember me telling you about Gypsy-Bhangra-Balkan bacchanalia at the Banya Russian Steambaths, well, the crazy party people who brought you that party (and will soon be bringing it to you again), are hosting ‘Luminous Flux: Yuri’s Night‘ tonight at Galapagos. Gemini and Scorpio take bacchanalia quite seriously and this is sure to be a characteristically riotous event:
Gemini and Scorpio and Leo Kuelbs present a full weekend of eye-popping video art on the theme of flight, as explored through selected works, installations, live multimedia performances, and VJ sets. Luminous flux is the measure of perceived power of light. Over the course of this event, over 30 artists harness this power to present their unique interpretations of the theme, with works ranging from abstract to whimsical to challenging to dazzling. Kuelbs showcases video work in a unique 4-channel environment, a living gallery devoted to one artist at a time on four screens, all in one two-hour looped reel that will be shown on all three nights. G&S concoct their usual mix of live performance, circus, spectacle and dance party, this time revolving heavily around innovative video work.
Tomorrow is the first important social event of the spring season- the annual Gotham Girls Roller Derby Derbytaunt Ball. Head to Public Assembly dressed as your ‘best future perfect self’ to welcome the rookies in style!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I’ll be sure to tell you all about my recent adventures and this week’s events shortly!
The Big Red Apple 