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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!
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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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One of our clients was arrested this morning so you’ll have to forgive me for posting a bit late (oh the exciting world of law).
Tonight you can learn all about black holes! Professor Janna Levin will give an hour-long lecture entitled: Songs from Space: Black Holes and the Big Bang in Audio on Columbia’s campus in Lerner Hall:
Black holes may be heard but not seen. Black hole motions play out a song on space itself, causing space to ring like a drum. Since our ears are unable to catch their songs, the gravitational waves pass through us unnoticed. Monumental experiments on Earth and planned for space aim to record the sounds of space for the first time, turning on the soundtrack to the Universe.
Tomorrow at the 1889 Gallery you can contribute to the art community in Northern Brooklyn and see some interesting new works:
North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition (NbPac) proudly presents RE/PAINT RE/BUILD, a benefit for the India Street Mural Project. This project is the kickoff project for the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition (NbPac). The NbPac is a new initiative whose goal is to work with local artists, community members, arts organizations and businesses in order to increase the presence of public art in North Brooklyn. By doing so, NbPac hopes to beautify, revitalize, and energize the Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick neighborhoods through public art. The event will occur in the atmosphere created by Gallery 1889’s ongoing RE/BUILD exhibition, which features design objects made from reclaimed materials. The benefit will feature local food and drink, music, live screenprinting, haircuts, and a silent auction. All proceeds will go to benefit the India Street Mural Project and NbPac. The event is co-produced by Susie Watkins.
Also on Wednesday, you can get a free chicken dinner and see Jack/Skippy McFadden (aka DJ French Toast) spin some hot dance tunes at The Bell House. Jack/Skippy McFadden is the booker for both Union Hall and The Bell House and the co-owner of the latter; as you know from the vast number of events at The Bell House that I’ve posted in the past, he has great taste! I’m sure he’ll get you over hump day smoothly.
Thursday is the big party night this week, with a plethora of amazing events to chose from.
If it’s not raining (one can only hope), you should join Gemini & Scorpio on a private rooftop (RSVP to find out where), where they’ll be screening two episodes of Firefly- the prematurely cancelled sci-fi TV series w/a cult following. Here are the opening credits:
Also contingent on the weather gods, William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe will be shown outdoors as part of BAMcinemaFEST, which I wrote about last week.
ALSO at the whim of the weather gods, New York City Opera will perform The Magic Flute at Rockefeller Park River Terrace and Warren Street. The one-hour production will be sung in English, featuring outstanding soloists from the NYC Opera. This is one of three operas showing outside this week; I’ll be telling you about Friday and Saturday’s performances in my weekend post.
If it rains it’s not too late to sign up for the Exceptional Wealth Building Opportunities Event taking place at the Russian Tea Room. Settle down in a dark corner and share investment advice with other wily young players.
If you’re more interested in investing in your love life you’ll want to experience The Best of Craigslist: A Night of Monologues & Missed Connections at the 92Y Tribeca!
Don’t miss this satirical look at the cult-like culture surrounding the website that provides “local classifieds and forums for communities worldwide”. Philip Galinsky (The Manhattan Monologue Slam), Adrianne Frost (The Daily Show, Best Week Ever) and Ben Hersey (Late Night w/ Conan O’Brien) have adapted some of the most outrageous Craigslist ads into comedic monologues. The results are classifiably hilarious. Who knows, maybe your “missed connection” will be at the show!
Last but certainly not least, I will be watching Top Gun get the Raspberry Brothers’ treatment at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas. It should be a great show, what with Top Gun being one of the most ridiculous films of the 80s! Come out and get your giggle on!
Have a good week and stay tuned for additions!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
We have a super exciting weekend ahead of us! First of all, let me remind you of several events I’ve mentioned already– on Thursday The Raspberry Brothers are having a special early roasting of Garden State and Discovery is playing at Public Assembly. There are also various ongoing events like the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; New York Classical Theatre’s wandering production of King Lear in Central Park, which I just reviewed and The NYC Food Film Festival (discussed in this post).
That said, please prepare yourself for difficult decisions.
Also on Thursday Schmami is the special guest DJ at Studio B’s Sunset Disco Rooftop BBQ with People Don’t Dance No More; get out there and prove them wrong!
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!
Also on Sunday you finally have another chance to check out Dare Dukes, who I called sexy ugly in a post ages ago. He’s also an excellent musician and songwriter and his show at The Living Room is certain to be the perfect way to wrap up your weekend!
Stay tuned for addtions!
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To view this post at its new location click HERE!
Last week A and I went to see Lorenzo Pisoni perform his childhood in his one man show ‘Humor Abuse.’ The theater is tiny and Pisoni draws his audience into the story (sometimes literally) while keeping them on their toes (beware of those sandbags!). One of my favorite lines went something like…
‘So it was me and a lifesize model of me and several helium balloons in the steamer trunk and it was summer and it was hot and sometimes the balloons would break, and it was very loud. This started when I was three. I HATE balloons.’
The tricks and acrobatics were exciting but it was the story that really drew the piece together and made it feel worth watching. I only wish clowning was always that engaging!
Friday night I saw Emanuel and the Fear play at Crash Mansion (I mentioned the show to you in my weekend post). The number of instruments on stage is a bit overwhelming but all of the sounds are used to great effect, including the voices of the two vocalists- Emanuel Ayvas and Liz Hanley.
Emanuel Ayvas and Liz Hanley
Liz Hanley, Tom Swafford and Brian Sanders
Saturday was beautiful and I hope everyone spent as much time out in the sunshine as possible; I certainly did! I had a picnic in Prospect Park with a group of friends and then we all wandered over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to experience the cherry trees in bloom. They will be blooming for several weeks and you can keep track of their progress and plan your visit accordingly through the website.
Cherry Tree blooming in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Saturday evening G and I attended one of the Jazz at Lincoln Center events. Of course first we wandered around failing to find the theater and then failing to find the box office but eventually we made it to our seats. This event showcased some pieces by Wynton Marsalis, who was also performing, and some stories by Langston Hughes. I will admit the whole thing was a bit too edgy for me. There was a whole series devoted to various animals and generally speaking no matter how interesting it is to make a saxophone sound like a monkey I still do not think it’s worth buying tickets to hear the result. However, some of the jazz was more traditional and certainly the technical skill of the musicians was more than adequately demonstrated. There was also tap dancing, which was marvelous to watch, even from the balcony. P.S. If you attend any events at the Rose Theater you should call the box office and ask for the seats behind the stage; they’re cheaper and you’ll be right on top of the action (I intend to do this next time).
We grabbed a bit of a hurried dinner at Cafeteria (classic Chelsea restaurant- music loud enough for a club, men with too much product in their hair, modernist furniture and slightly pretentious everything, however pretty yummy for all that) before heading over to the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas to see The Raspberry Brothers in action! Jerm says I was one of the first to begin promoting their show but luckily others have now caught on; check out his interview with Andrew Singer in The Apiary. The Apiary is also recommending the improv comedy festival at The Creek LIC this weekend, which also includes an act from one of the Raspberry Brothers (amazing how comedy comes together).
The Raspberry Brothers
On Sunday G and I experienced a somewhat different form of comedy at the Barrymore Theater, where we saw an all-star cast perform ‘Exit the King.’ The whole cast is fantastic but I felt like Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon were really incredible. The script was witty and occasionally just a tad profound without feeling dark. For example;
He acts as if no one has ever died before!
No one alive HAS ever died!
The final scene is rather hypnotic and was not necessarily the best way to draw the story to a close. I adored the absurd capes and crowns and had to fight the urge to go and find a very long piece of fabric immediately (I played dress up a lot as a child).
Sunday night I had dinner in a bubble. Yes, a giant plastic bubble, the Raumlabor’s Spacebuster to be precise. This art installation by German artists focuses on the idea of using vacant space. The bubble will be traveling to various locales around the city this week and you should try to attend one of the events. It is definitely an amazing experience to dance to tunes spun by Jonathan Toubin inside a bubble in the courtyard of the Old American Can Factory... so I expect the other events will be at least as enjoyable.
The Spacebuster behind the Old American Can Factory
Inside the Spacebuster after dark
Add that to your plans this week! Also be sure to look at my earlier post for other events to consider and stay tuned for additions!
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As usual at this point of the week I am doing very little but think about all of the exciting upcoming events. I will probably add to this list but I am simply too excited to keep them to myself any longer.
First off you should check out my earlier post for tonight’s events and those that are ongoing. The St. Mark’s Bookshop Reading Seriestakes place tonight at Solas and I also wrote about the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema and the Short Film Festival.
Tonight at Joe’s Pub Eleni Mandell will be playing her characteristic blend of jazz, blues and folk; The New Yorker says
Mandell was weaned on artists like Tom Waits and X, and her dark and sexy songs have been compared to those of everyone from Chan Marshall to Patsy Cline. She has a sometimes smoky, sometimes wistful delivery, and, more often than not, her songs take on love from some new perspective.
Armory Arts Week begins today:
With one admission ticket, visitors to The Armory Show on March 4 – 8 will now have access not only to the newest trends in the art world in our celebrated International Fair of New Art on Pier 94, but also to the masterpieces that heralded these developments in The Armory Show – Modern on Pier 92.
The Armory Show is only part of the fun, check out Volta and Art Fair Now for even more snobbishness and deep hidden meaning. If you’d rather take your art in small, concentrated doses head downtown tonight for Soho Night– an evening of extended exhibition viewing and special programs by the not-for-profit visual arts institutions in SoHo. Don’t miss “Kick My Heart’s Ass: Short Films About Love” curated by Davy Rothbart. Check the website for more artsy fun this weekend.
Far and away one of the absurd events happening this weekend- Gypsy-Bhangra-Balkan bacchanalia at the Banya Russian Steambaths.
Banya Russian Steambaths
The event is being hosted by party mavens Gemini & Scorpio:
Break out your bikini or swim trunks, and join 100 artsy, funky (and nearly naked) New Yorkers for a steamy dance night at a real Russian Banya. Things will get sweaty on the dance floor with DJ Joro Boro curating an array of EthnoMesh DJs throwing down brass freakout, slum funk carioca, bangin bhangra, percussion insurgency, and cumbia from south of the wall: an uninhibited globalized party fed back into music without borders.
Flier for Russian Baths Dance Party
Get your tickets now before they sell out!
For those of you who are Anti-Armory check out the equal and opposite show- the Eyebeam Mixer. There will be crazy installations and too-cool-for-the-Armory DJs.
Also on Friday educate your tastebuds at a FREE whiskey tasting! You can sample local whiskey from New York distiller Tuthilltown Spirits at Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit.
Saturday night B is going to Le Poisson Rouge to see Glass Candy perform their weird 60’s performance art / disco.
Glass Candy
Also on Saturday, Draw-a-Thon will be happening at ‘One Taste’ on Grand St. between Mott and Mulberry.
A striped down version of our production, the focus will be drawing long and short poses of love, hugs, emotion, joy, and embraces, followed at 11pm the interview of the nude, questions and answers on what makes us tick.
Also on Saturday, go back to Joe’s Pub for ‘Beat it Burlesque,’
an all-star cast for a night of striptease, live music and comedy dedicated to the Jackson family’s titanic range of pop hits, from the Jackson 5 to Michael to Janet, maybe even Jermaine—and their 40 years of pop culture craziness.
Beat it Burlesque
This Sunday if you happen to know how to knit or crochet (I am not nearly that skilled but I admire those who are) and you’re interested in increasing your good karma, check this out:
Knitters or Crocheters needed for a Mother’s Day donation drive. Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc., will be bringing your beautiful hand crafted items to a domestic violence residence in the New York area. We have yarn and knitting needles available for your use from 11a-4p on March 8. Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. is the first textile nonprofit committed to supporting the lives of survivors of domestic violence. We partner volunteers with the raw materials to create clothing and accessories for survivors of domestic violence living in transitional housing. For five years we have donated over 2,000 items to women living in residences held by Safe Horizon, Center Against Domestic Violence, and Sanctuary for Families. Contact Sue Rock at 347 365 8747.
Also on Sunday I am tremendously pleased to announce that my favorite comedy act, The Raspberry Brothers, will be performing at Pianos. They will be applying their tremendous wit to ‘Snakes on a Plane.’ I cannot imagine a movie so uniquely suited to their brand of mockery. Go and enjoy!
Stay tuned for additions!
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