by Bill Pearis

The Polyphonic Spree at BV-SXSW 2013 (more by Sarah Frankie Linder)

As you may know, Bonnaroo is happening this weekend in Manchester, TN, kicking off today (6/13) and going through Sunday (6/16) across a dozen or so stages and tents. Everybody knows about the big names -- that include Paul McCartney, Bjork, Tom Petty and many more (stream it live) -- but there are some  cool things going on away from the main stages, too

The Polyphonic Spree (who played a BVSXSW day party this year) play the Cinema Tent tonight (6/13) at 11 PM, performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack in its entirety (!). Then the band are doing a second secret Bonnaroo set at 2 AM by the Fountain.

There's actually a lot of cool stuff going on in the Cinema Tent. Matt & Kim will host a panel discussion called "How to Make a Fun Music Video" where they'll also perform live (Thursday, 4:30 PM); Mike Birbiglia (who performs in the Bonnaroo Comedy Theatre) will present his terrific film Sleepwalk with Me (Friday, 5:45 PM); Reno 911/The State folks Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant will show their new comedy, Hell Baby (Friday, 11:55 PM); Police Academy human sound effects machine Michael Winslow will perform on Friday (9:10 PM); and The National's Matt Berninger will present the new documentary, Mistaken For Strangers (6/16, noon).

Chris Gethard, who famously walked to Bonnaroo from L.A. last year, will be doing a bunch of things there this year:

Last year I did The Chris Gethard Show which is an experimental, crazy thing, but this time it's just stand-up. I have a pretty in-depth exploration of my Bonnaroo experience last year that I may tell on stage and see how the crowd likes it. I would call my act stand-up but I'm less of a joke writer and more on the confessional, philosophizing or whatever end. They're true stories. I'm playing Thursday and Friday. Then Saturday I'm hosting a look at public access TV with clips from my show and other public access shows that inspired mine. Things like Uncle Floyd--which I grew up with in New Jersey--and Chic-a-Go-Go from Chicago. Also, clips from my favorite prank call footage on various public access shows. And a lot of it will be clips from The Chris Gethard Show that I'm really proud of. But overall I just want to have fun and meet a lot more people. - [Fuse]

There's good music away from the three main stages too: Deer Tick cohort Jonny Fritz (formerly Corndawg) will be tonight (New Music On Tap Lounge, 10 PM) and Friday (Sonic Stage, 12:45 PM); Ex Cops play the New Music On Tap Lounge on Friday at 8 PM; Canada's awesome White Lung play the Cafe Where? stage on Sunday at 7:45 PM; and Georgia rockers Royal Thunder play the New Music On Tap Lounge on Sunday at 8 PM. And look out for Mac DeMarco all over the place.

And last but not least, John Oates is the butt of a lot of good-natured ribbing, but you'll get to hear his side of the story when he performs and participates in a Q&A on the Solar Stage on Friday at 5 PM. Here's you chance to learn the real story behind "Maneater" without constant interjections by Daryl Hall.

Check out the full Bonnaroo Schedule (scroll down, down down for smaller stages) for more.

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Foxygen @ Knitting Factory 5/13/2013

Foxygen just wrapped up a three-night NYC run, that began with the BrooklynVegan-curated Red Bull Sound Select show at Knitting Factory on Monday (5/13) and a second night there (5/14) and finished last night (5/15) at Mercury Lounge. Anybody hit the second Knit or Mercury Lounge show? Anyone go to all three? We've got a second set of photos from the RBSS show, including ones of openers Amen Dunes, LODRO, and Prince Rupert's Drops, in this post.

Foxygen will spend their summer on the festival circuit, playing Pitchfork, Woodsist and Solid Sound amongst many others. That also includes another stop in NYC at the free River Rocks show on July 25 with Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. All tour dates are listed with more pictures from KF below.

Continue reading "Foxygen played three NYC shows (more pics from our RBSS one with LODRO, Amen Dunes and Prince Rupert's Drops)"

photos by David Andrako; words by Bill Pearis

Foxygen / LODRO @ Knitting Factory 5/13/2013

"I ate a CD once," admitted Foxygen frontman Sam France Monday night onstage to a full room at Knitting Factory. It was one of many probable falsehoods he told the crowd, but sometimes it's funny cause it's untrue. This was the first of three Foxygen shows in NYC this week and a Red Bull Sound Select show that BrooklynVegan curated (that's us). It was also the cheapest at only $3.00 and with four bands, a DJ and a comedian host on the bill.

France is a very charismatic frontman (my friend remarked "he's got a Jarvis Cocker thing going on") and even if you aren't totally in love with their album, with its many nods to late '60s rock, it's hard to deny Foxygen put on a very entertaining show, messing with the Red Bull sign included.

We chose the other three bands on the bill to be in tune with the pysch side of Foxygen's music. Openers Prince Rupert's Drops are in the mushroom tea variety, with harmoniously baroque pop stirred with extended jams. Amen Dunes, who played third, is more spacey, working on pure vibes at times. Songs too, but definitely Damon McMahon's music is more about floating with than active participation.

In between was LODRO and it was my first time seeing them despite their reputation for endless local gigging (like DIIV who they opened for two days earlier). They were definitely my personal favorite of the three, and the trio -- who pronounce their name "low-dro" -- make a strong impression. While best know for her stint in party rockers Friends, Lesley Hann is a commanding presence here, and maybe just a little intimidating. It could just be their intense brand of creepout blues (think Nick Cave, The Cramps' version of "Fever") is dead serious and pretty badass, aided in no small part by drummer Jigmae Baer and guitarist/singer Jeremy Cox. All three are also in Royal Baths though LODRO seems to be the focus now. Deservingly.

Chris Gethard, who days earlier was letting Zach Galifianakis give haircuts to strangers on his show, made for a very funny host, and I had fun DJing in-between sets.

NYC Red Bull Sound Select shows (not to be confused with Red Bull Music Academy shows) -- always only $3 -- happen each month this year and are curated either by BrooklynVegan, East Village Radio, Afropunk or Brooklyn Bodega. The same happens in other cities (for instance Fake Shore Drive just announced their next one in Chicago and Bun B recently headlined one in Austin)

More photos from our show at Knitting Factory are below.

Continue reading "Foxygen, Amen Dunes, LODRO & Prince Rupert's Drops played first BV-curated RBSS show at the Knit (pics)"

Foxygen @ Chicago's Lincoln Hall in March (more by James Richards IV)

As mentioned, Foxygen are currently on a short East Coast tour that ends with two sold-out NYC shows next week: Knitting Factory on May 14 and Mercury Lounge on May 15. If you wanted to go to one of those shows but didn't get tickets, we've got good news. We're happy to announce that Foxygen will headline a BrooklynVegan-curated Red Bull Sound Select show on Monday (5/13) at Knitting Factory. As always, the show is $3 at the door. 7pm doors. 8pm show. All ages, no advance tickets.

LODRO

This is the fourth NYC RBSS show -- the previous three were curated by East Village Radio, Afropunk, and Brooklyn Bodega. Like those, in addition to the headliner Monday's show features three local acts.

For our openers, we kept things on the trippy side: Amen Dunes, who open for Boris at LPR tonight (5/7), will play and perhaps give a taste of their forthcoming new album. Also on the bill are LODRO, the Royal Baths side project that has been honing its live show through relentless gigging; and Prince Rupert's Drops whose album Run Slow was one of 2012's overlooked gems. Adding to the fun will be your host, the amazing comedian, storyteller and author Chris Gethard (of the Chris Gethard Show among other things). Hope to see you out on Monday.

UPDATE: our own Bill Pearis will also be DJing starting at 7pm sharp.

If you can't make this show, you can always catch Foxygen in late July at a much bigger venue -- Pier 84 as part of the 7/25 free River Rocks show with Thao & the Get Down Stay Down.

Streams for Foxygen, Amen Dunes, LODRO, and Prince Rupert's Drops, and more tour dates, are below.

Continue reading "Foxygen, Amen Dunes, LODRO and Prince Rupert's Drops playing BrooklynVegan-curated Red Bull Sound Select show"

The Henry Miller Memorial Library has done concerts in Big Sur, CA for years, and they're now bringing the celebration over to NYC for Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge, a weeklong festival which goes down from May 12 - 19 in Williamsburg in multiple locations. The festival ends with a concert at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 19 with modern classical master Philip Glass and baroque pop legend Van Dyke Parks, plus special guests. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (4/26) at noon.

Other events throughout the festival include a pop-up book store at City Reliquary (right across from Knitting Factory on Metropolitan Ave); literary readings; more music like Jeffrey Lewis collaborator/Holy Modal Rounder Peter Stampfel at Spike Hill on May 15 (tickets); an evening of short film at Videology on May 17; and a UCB-presented comedy show at Knitting Factory on May 18 with Chris Gethard and others (tickets). Full schedule and more details below.

In related news, Van Dyke Parks just reissued his classic album, Song Cycle, and released a new "orchestral fantasy" album, Super Chief, on Record Store Day. He's also releasing a new album with re-imagined versions of old songs and covers, Songs Cycled, on May 6 via Bella Union. You can read Van's statement on the album at Bella Union's site. Stream his re-recording of "Hold Back Time" from his 1995 collaborative album with Brian Wilson, Orange Crate Art, below.

Continue reading "Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge festival is coming (Philip Glass, Van Dyke Parks, comedy, readings, short films & more)"

by Andrew Sacher

As mentioned, Brooklyn duo Shellshag are releasing their new album, Shellshag Forever, on April 16 via Don Giovanni. The band formed in the '90s as the duo of John Driver, whose nickname is Shellhead, and Jennifer Shagawat (aka Shell and Shag, hence Shellshag), who were and still are a couple. Though they've been a band for so long, they've been getting more attention for this new album (appearing on Pitchfork and Stereogum for this first time). And Shellshag Forever is a great record to gain them a larger fan base. The production is a bit bigger and clearer than their past releases, and their songwriting is in top form. Many of the tracks are autobiographical stories about Shell and Shag's band and relationship with lyrics that put you in specific moments like "That old hoodie, it reminds me of the time we walked a mile to play that show out in the sunset."

The album is now available for pre-order at the Don Giovanni webstore, and you can listen to it in its entirety ahead of its release date at the bottom of this post. Also below is a video of Shellshag performing an acoustic version of the album's lead track, "Face to Face," which they recorded for the BrooklynVegan 'Green Room Sessions' in 2011.

As mentioned, Shellshag have a number of shows coming up, including one at Union Pool on Saturday (4/13) with RVIVR, Dogjaw, and Extra Feeler (tickets) and a record release show for Shellshag Forever on April 20 at Maxwell's with Screaming Females, Swearin' Hilly Eye, and Waxahatchee/Swearin' side project Great Thunder (tickets). The flyer for the release show is below.

They've also since announced other local shows, including May 10 at Death by Audio with Black Wine, Swearin', and comedians Dave Hill and Chris Gethard, May 18 at Mercury Lounge, where they'll be an opener, along with Hunters, for the first of two previously announced JEFF the Brotherhood shows (JEFF also plays Merc on 5/19), May 25 at Party Expo with Moira Scara, and June 5 at Death by Audio with Shell's brother's band, Apogee Sound Cloud. All dates are listed below.

I also recently spoke to Shellshag about their new album, being veterans of the DIY scene, and the increased attention for Don Giovanni Records. You can read that interview, along with the album stream, video, and list of tour dates, below...

Continue reading "an interview with Shellshag, whose new album comes out soon (stream it ++ updated dates)"

by Klaus Kinski

Comedy Bang Bang are Bonnaroo-ing it

While you are noodle-dancing your way to, and at, the 2013 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee (June 13 - 14), you might not be aware that this year marks the milestone 10-year anniversary of their annually-awesome and totally legendary Bonnaroo Comedy Theatre (Hosted by IFC). This year they are really shooting the works with a gold-standard, rock-solid, pant-shittingly awesome line up. So while you're at the festival, take a break from those dumb bands and thrill to the air-conditioned comedy of, in alphabetical order, James Adomian, Cristela Alonzo, Eric Andre, Maria Bamford, Mike Birbiglia, Jerrod Carmichael, Michael Che, Comedy Bang! Bang! with Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts, David Cross, Kyle Dunnigan, Chris Gethard, Nikki Glaser, Ed Helms' Whisky Sour Radio Hour, Improvised Shakespeare Company, Jared Logan, Bob Saget, and Daniel Tosh.

If you'd like to see Ed Helms doing music here in NYC, his bluegrass trio plays Rockwood Music Hall on April 6 and tickets are on sale now.

Video of David Cross' comedy line-up announcement, shot on the Brooklyn shores of the east river, below.

BYE.

Continue reading "Mike Birbiglia, David Cross, Ed Helms, Bob Saget, Scott Aukerman & Reggie Watts playing Bonnaroo Comedy Theatre"

by Andrew Sacher

Marnie Stern at Santos in 2011 (more by Andrew St. Clair)

The February 2013 taping of the "Beginnings" podcast at UCB East (2/5) is set to feature a pretty stellar lineup with musicians Andrew W.K. and Marnie Stern, comedians Opus Moreschi (The Colbert Report) and Chris Gethard, and "special unnameable guest." $5 reservations are available now.

Besides "Beginnings," Andrew WK has his Superbowl halftime show at Santos and Skate and Surf.

As for Marnie Stern, she doesn't have too many dates coming up, but she will release her new album, The Chronicles of Marnia, on March 19 via Kill Rock Stars. The album is her first without drum maniac Zach Hill (who is now occupying his time in Death Grips) and was instead recorded with Kid Millions of Oneida behind the kit. Two of the tracks, "Year of the Glad" and "East Side Glory," have been revealed from the album, and while they don't sound as mathy and all over the place as her previous material, they're just as characteristically weird in their own way. You can listen to both, check out the album art and tracklist, and see a list of upcoming shows below.

Continue reading "Marnie Stern releasing new LP, appearing at UCB East w/ Andrew WK, Chris Gethard & more (dates, streams)"

Dolchnakov Brigade

As you may know, comedian Chris Gethard usually has a band on his weekly NYC cable access / online talk show. Last night, for example, Screaming Females played (archived video of that is not online yet, unfortunately). Tonight (1/17) at Death by Audio you can go see four former music guests of The Chris Gethard Show at a party they're calling "Come Take A Ride With The Weirdest Bands We Know, Vol. 2." Those bands are Dolchnakov Brigade, Mal Blum, Claire's Diary, and Electric Monday. In addition to the music, expect "many of the oddballs who appear on the show, and will feature not just music but ill advised crowd participation, stunts, and prize giveaways." Says Chris on Facebook:

One thing I'm super proud of at the last concert we threw is that it was a straight up DANCE PARTY. So many shows around New York are just standing around and staring. Not at TCGS concerts. At most NY shows, people are embarrassed to dance. At our shows, people are embarrassed NOT to dance. Come by this Thursday night and see four of our best ever acts throw down.

Continue reading "Chris Gethard presenting "The Weirdest Bands We Know" at Death by Audio tonight"

by Klaus Kinski

Will Chris Gethard make Klaus' list?

Because I have a terrible memory and personal tastes that change from week to week, coming up with a "Best of" list spanning an entire year is absolutely impossible. And the term "Best of" sounds too goddamned dogmatic to be taken very seriously. I only like lists when they are silly and light like "Top Ten Funniest Farts" or something of that nature. And anyway, the reality is that taste is subjective; a concept which you crotchety commenters can't seem to get through your thick skulls. Especially when it comes to comedy. So rather than give you a "Top 10 Funniest Comedians of 2012" list, what follows is "Though There Are Certainly Others, Here Are 10 Mostly Local Comedians Who Klaus Kinski Really Enjoyed in 2012 In No Particular Order, Really," below...

Continue reading "Top 10 Mostly Local Comedians Who I Really Enjoyed in 2012"

Craig Finn w/ The Hold Steady in NYC in 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Listen to the references he makes in his lyrics or read an interview with him and you know that Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady) has a wide range of taste, and that isn't lost on his list of the top ten records of 2012, which bounces from underground rapper El-P to folk legend Bill Fay to non-stop rockers Japandroids. Of the list, Craig says, "A lot of my friends made really great records this year. To keep myself sane, I've created a list of my top ten records by people I don't know personally. Compiled quickly, probably with some ommisions." You can check the whole thing out below.

Craig will be taking part of the Soundtrack Series in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge this Friday (11/30) along with Cynthia Kaplan, Jenny Rubin, Daniel Ralston, Steve Zimmer, and host Dana Rossi. The event description reads, "Five artists-writers, comics, actors and musicians-tell the stories they forever connect with songs from their past. There's the song, the story behind the song, and the story inspired by the song. We're the third one." Craig will be doing his on "I Will Dare" by the Replacements. Tickets for that are on sale now.

Meanwhile watch Craig on the Chris Gethard show TONIGHT (11/28).

As mentioned, The Hold Steady will play Wellmont Theatre on New Year's Eve with Lucero. Since we last spoke, comedian Kurt Braunohler has been added to that bill as well. Tickets for the show are still available.

Craig Finn's top 10 albums of 2012 list is below...

Continue reading "Craig Finn lists his top 10 albums of 2012, appearing at 'Soundtrack Series' at LPR (and New Year's Eve in NJ)"

by Klaus Kinski

Aziz Ansari & Chris Rock @ Whiplash @ UCB last week

UCB Theater Chelsea's Monday night staple comedy jam session Whiplash still happens every Monday night at 11:00pm. Sadly, for old man Kinski, 11pm is just a tooouuucccchhhhh too late to be out and about galavanting with some of comedy's greatest talents these days. Which is sad, because you never know who will show up to perform, and those who do show up will usually blow your mind. For example, the Monday November 19th installment featured Chris Rock, Aziz Ansari, Simon Amstell and Anthony Jeselnik. Holy.

Chris Rock (pictured above with Aziz at Whiplash), good pals with Louis CK, also recently made a surprise appearance for Louis at his Staten Island Sandy Benefit Shows on November 17th.

But before the next Whiplash, the UCB Theater in Chelsea will be playing host to an awesome Sandy Benefit show on Sunday November 25th at 9:30pm. The line-up is festooned with so many Klaus favorites. $15 not only gets you piece of mind knowing you are helping out people whose lives were turned upside-down by hurricane Sandy, but you get performances by Arden Myrin, W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FX), Seth Herzog, Dave Hill, Jamie Kilstein, Janine Brito, Kevin Avery, Sara Benincasa, C.F. Lederer, and Chris Gethard (who by the way has a small part in the very last episode of Bored to Death) (I just watched it the other day and was reminded of that important fact). The show will be hosted by Nato Green.

Dave Hill & Tig Notaro

And speaking of Dave Hill and the UCB Theater in Chelsea, prepare yourselves for another fantastic installment of The Dave Hill Explosion which will take place on Thursday November 29th at 9:30pm. Dave's special guest will be Tig Notaro (who recently released a CD via Louis CK) and more. We all know Dave Hill is one of NYC's best comedians, guitar players, and show reviewers, but the Explosion is always a truly epic experience where Dave REALLY shines. The Dave Hill Explosion is a long-running live talk show hosted by Dave Hill. He doesn't do it that often but when he does it's awesome. One of the greatest shows I've ever seen was the Explosion that featured Rufus Wainwright and Dick Cavett. Holy.

Meanwhile you can find Dave Hill TONIGHT (11/24) at UCB East as part of "If You Build It", and check out Dave Hill's latest podcast featuring Chris Elliott. And don't forget that you can catch Chris Elliott at the Bell House on December 7th as part of Ted Leo and Tom Scharpling's epic and now totally sold out Sandy Benefit. You can also see him at the Pit with his daughters Abby and Bridey Elliott on Thursday December 6th at Running Late with Scott Rogowsky.

Hoity-Toity gastro-comedy joint The Stand will be hosting a rather impressive Sandy benefit called MTV Presents Stand up for Sandy on Tuesday November 27th. The line-up features Jim Gaffigan, Wyatt Cenac, Nikki Glaser, Sara Schaefer and Sean Patton. The tickets are a super reasonably priced $20 and are currently on sale. And for those keeping score, Sean Patton and Sarah Schaefer are two of my favorite and definitely underrated comedians in the biz. This might be THE show that gets your man Klaus out of his comfort zone and into The Stand.

Jim Gaffigan also has other bigger area shows coming up.

Wyatt Cenac (who also performs in the sold out Sandy Benefit show at the Bell House this Sunday November 25th) continues his new Monday night residency at Littlefield on Monday November 26th and every Monday. As a matter of fact, Har Mar Superstar is musical guest this Monday November 26th.

And speaking of Littlefield, celebrate Christmas Eve there with Wyatt Cenac because it looks like it will be a special night with guests Janeane Garofalo, Michael Che (who also plays the sold out show at Bell House this Sunday), and more already announced. But before that, on Sunday December 9th Littlefield will be hosting Concert & Comedy For Sandy Animals: Benefit for the Sean Casey Animal Rescue with comedy by Michael Showalter and Jena Friedman, and music by Supercute, Casey Shea and more.

For more upcoming shows check out Eugene Mirman's schedule, Pete Holmes & Doug Benson's tour dates, Nick Kroll's tour dates, Greg Proops, and a big list of upcoming shows at the Bell House (and HERE).

It's that time of year again, judging by the posts on this site today, with lots of Holiday-themed shows coming up. Unsurprisingly, The Bell House lives for this kind of yuletide cheer and has about a dozen or so holiday shows lined up in the next month. Here's a rundown.

First is the Everything's Terrible! Holiday Special 2012 which happens December 12 (tickets). If you think the Star Wars Holiday Special is the worst Christmas-related thing television has ever birthed, the Everything's Terrible folks will likely prove you wrong. For an early taste, there's a trailer for the crap extravanga below, along with a list of all dates for this ironic roadshow which is touring both coasts at the same time.

On the next night (12/13) it's The Party Machine's 2nd Annual Holiday Benefit Blowout with hosts Arden Myrin and Lisa Delarios with guests Jon Glaser, Chris Gethard, Sheng Wang, Janeane Garofalo and Adira Amram & the Experience with proceeds going to Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue and Red Cross Disaster Relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Tickets are $12 and still available but probably not for long -- don't delay.

More funny stuff (with music): On December 16, Fred Armisen hosts The Snow Ball Ball: A Winter Formal To Benefit 826NYC, with guest DJs Tunde Adebimpe and Peter Hale of Here We Go Magic. Tickets are still available.

And for ska fans there's The Slackers Christmas Celebration on 12/22 which also celebrates the band's 20th anniversary. The show also features The Frightnrs, Sammy K, and Caz & the Day Laborers. Tickets are still available.

Wait there's still more holiday fun at The Bell House: for burlesque fans there's Doc Wasabassco's Birthday Celebration And All-Holiday Party on 12/14 (tickets); for the wizards and muggles out there, you can celebrate at The Harry Potter Yule Ball 2012 on 12/15 with Harry And The Potters, Potter Puppet Pals, The Whomping Willows, and The Home Alones (tickets); later that night (12/15) it's The Rub's Holiday party with Eleven & Ayres and special guests Kon & 7L' and for those who need some twang in their stocking, on December 16 it's The Suzi Shelton Band's Fourth Annual Rockin' Holiday Party with Amelia Robinson From Mil's Trills (tickets).

Everything Is Terrible trailer and flyer for the Snowball Ball are below.

Continue reading "Everything is Terrible, Fred Armisen, The Slackers, Harry & the Potters and more holiday shows at The Bell House"

by Klaus Kinski

I am going to spare you my usual editorializing and get right to the meat of the situation here. Basically, there is an absolute shit-ton of comedy and benefit type shows coming to the Bell House. I hope you like brass tacks, because I'm going to get right down to them.

Hey, did you get tickets for PROFESSOR BLASTOFF LIVE with Hosts Tig Notaro, Kyle Dunnigan, David Huntsberger plus a special guest? It happens at the Bell House on Saturday November 17 (aka this Saturday!) and, man, it sure as hell sold out.

On Wednesday (11/21), the Bell House will play host to The Musical Extravaganza to Restore Red Hook! starring Rosanne Cash and featuring Alex Battles and the Whisky Spitter Rebellion and B61: A film by Michael Buscemi. Here's more:

The evening kicks off with a square dance, hosted by NYC Barn Dance. Roseanne Cash will headline the evening, and Jesse Lenat, John Pinamonti and the Brotherhood of the Whiskey Spitter Rebellion will play. Michael Buscemi will screen his new film on the bus that runs through Red Hook, called "B61."

This show will benefit Restore Red Hook. Restore Red Hook aims to raise funds to help the small businesses of Red Hook, Brooklyn reopen their doors as soon as possible after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

On Sunday, November 25th at 8:00pm, as mentioned, the Bell House and Pretty Good Friends team up for a Hurricane Relief Benefit featuring A Very Funny 'F*ck You' To Sandy. The show will be hosted by Eugene Mirman and feature comedy from a powerhouse line up including Jon Glaser, Wyatt Cenac, Mike Birbiglia , Michael Che and more. I am vexed that this show isn't sold out, so get your tickets now!!

Wyatt Cenac at Prospect Park, August 2012 (more by Jessica Amaya)

And speaking of Wyatt Cenac, check him out a little less than a month later at the much smaller Union Hall when, on Friday December 21, he'll be part of the comedy roster at The Afterlife Comedy Show. The show is gang-hosted by Emily Heller, George Gordon, Erin Judge, and Josh Gondelman. The show is a measly eight bucks and besides Wyatt and the awesome hosts and hostess there will be more comedy to boot!

On Friday November 30 Nick Kroll, one of my all time favorite comedians, takes the stage for a headlining show at the Bell House. Sadly, this show sold out faster than a speeding bullet. I am still recovering from wounds sustained during a self-flagellation sesh I performed on myself upon realizing this had happened. But keep your eye on the Bell House twitter feed in case they release more tickets. Or, go hang outside the venue before the show because I promise you there will be many-a nimrod out there with extra tickets they'd sell for face.

Allow me to go ahead and continue to mention another great Wyatt Cenac related show, this one happening at the Bell House on Wednesday December 5th; for on Wednesday December 5th you can thrill to the THE TELL YOUR FRIENDS! THE CONCERT FILM! RELEASE SHOW/SANDY BENEFIT (caps totally necessary). Join host Liam McEneaney as he brings to the stage Wyatt Cenac, Aaron Freeman (formerly Gene Ween), Christian Finnegan, Victor Varnado, A Brief View of The Hudson, Rob Paravonian , and more! The guests WILL be quite special, your money is going to a good cause, and it's not sold out yet. Get yer tix now!

And don't forget about Wyatt's weekly show "Night Train" which happens at Littlefield.

On Thursday December 6 the Bell House will be the site of two live podcast recordings of How Did This Get Made? A Live Podcast With Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael. The early show went on sale and promptly sold out, but they added a late show (Thank Cod!) and tix for that are currently still available. Kaboom!

Flash forward a week later to Thursday December 13 and the Bell House will play host to The Party Machine's 2nd Annual Holiday Benefit Blowout! The show is hosted by the EXTREMELY funny and wonderful Arden Myrin and Lisa Delarios and features and atomic line-up of comedians including Jon Glaser, Chris Gethard, Sheng Wang, Janeane Garofalo and Adira Amram and the Experience. Tickets are only $12 and it will sell out, so git along l'il doggie and buy some tix!

Then on Wednesday December 19th catch TODD BARRY 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN COMEDY SHOW featuring Janeane Garofalo, Ted Alexandro, Jim Gaffigan and more! Thanks to that skank hurricane Sandy, Todd's first attempt at a 25th anniversary show was left in ruins so this is your make up date people. No excuses. This show WILL SELL OUT, so get your tickets right this very second. This show is a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Two days later on Friday December 21, toddle on over to the Bell House for John Hodgman: That Is All. December 21, 2012 is the last day of the Mayan long count calendar and many buffoons and dipshits are prophesizing that this day marks certain doom for mankind. Along with musician Cynthia Hopkins and other special guests, Hodgman will count down to midnight, when his predictions will be proved TRUE! Or else FALSE! Tickets are on sale, but not for long! I prophesize a sell out!

Danny Brown's Bruiser Brigade, Flatbush Zombies, and Kitty Pryde are playing a free, Scion-presented "Open Mic" party in NYC at Paper Box on Wednesday (9/19), a few days before Danny heads out on the road with A$AP Rocky (a tour that brings him back to NYC to play Roseland on 9/27). The free show is a 21+ show and you need to RSVP.

The show is, coincidentally, just in time for a new Danny Brown & Bruiser Brigade EP which will drop next week via the music-minded car company's ScionAV label. You can watch a new-ish interview with Brown (also via ScionAV) below.

Meanwhile, Danny's best bud Kitty Pryde was on The Chris Gethard Show last night which was co-hosted by Andrew WK (who recently guested on new web series 'We Can Do It' and played Coney Island). Kitty performs two songs on the show and you can watch the whole episode below.

Kitty and Danny appear in Mark McNairy's Spring/Summer 2013 lookbook together which the above photo is an outtake from (via The Fader).

Flyer for the Open Mic party, dates and videos, below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown & Bruiser Brigade releasing EP, playing free NYC show w/ Kitty Pride (who played the Chris Gethard Show) --- dates & video"

Inspired by k3wl orgs like Public School, Cabinet, Brooklyn Brainery, & with a general commitment to diversity, Public Assembly's putting on the Ritz: gallery shows, panel discussions & radical arts get intermixed with our normal jams: cool bands, killer late night parties, and drank. Pro-women, pro-queer, pro-art, pro-imagination, proproblem solving, fans of the radical, and understanding of your budget - we're here to provide the best week-long version of a state-funded liberal arts college we can. Live
the dream.

Other events include a brewing discussion titled "How Beer Changed Everything" on 9/20, and "The Moon Presents ... A Tribute to Books" with comedian Chris Gethard and The Onion's Todd Hanson. All Et cetera events are listed below and there's more information at their website.

Continue reading "Stephin Meritt, Andrew McCarthy, Chris Gethard, Gang Gang Dance, Xeno & Oaklander, lectures, movies and more part of 'Et cetera' happening at Public Assembly next week"

alternate headline: GetHard with Tasteful Nudes

by Klaus Kinski

Back in January, I briefly mentioned the profoundly hilarious book A Bad Idea I Am About to Do by one of NYC's most brilliant performers Chris Gethard. I was so focused on all the other bullshit I was writing about in that article that my short, simple, brief mention of this masterpiece of a book was a profane oversight. Gethard is a phenomenal comedian and storyteller who also happens to have his own Manhattan cable access show every Wednesday night at 11:00pm. The show is absolutely crazy, insane, funny, irresistible, addictive and totally viewable LIVE online. Each week the show manages to feel somehow crazier and funnier. Sometimes Chris is in a great mood and the show is brilliant. Sometimes he's in a crummy mood and the show is brilliant. He's got a lot of help, care of his fabulous in-studio audience, but the dude carries that sucker to an unprecedented plateau of brilliance. But, the book... the book is one of the funniest, most well articulated canons of short (true) stories I've ever read. Even if you knew nothing about Chris, what he does, where he's coming from... if you read this book with absolutely no precedent or preconceptions about the author, you'd still laugh your eyebrows off. The stories are funny and even touching, but it's Gethard's agilities as an author that is most remarkable. I've said it before and I will say it again; I am nobody's shill. But when something is this good, this under-appreciated, this remarkably-not-in-the-hands-of-people-who-read-on-the-subway, I feel that it is my duty to make things right. Buy it. Unless you hate laughing. And good writing. Then f-off outta here.

In keeping with the concept of a bad idea someone (Chris) is about to do, Chris recently announced that he would be making his way from Los Angeles, California all the way to the 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on foot. By June 7th. Without any money. Or places to stay. Or a phone. Or anything. This is a fan-propelled mission. It sets out to determine whether a person can get from point A to point B with just the help of his admirers and fans. Murder, starvation, molestation, exploitation, dehydration, masturbation(?) are all perils of a project this stupidly brilliant. The entire journey will be documented for your viewing pleasure. Want to help out? Check out the video below and allow Gethard do the 'splaining for me. There's tweetables and hashtags and cyberwhatnots for you to know about.

Oh, hey! Speaking of comedians I love who are also now published authors and are into Bonnaroo, I am sure you have by now done the right thing and pre-ordered Dave Hill's new tome Tasteful Nudes, right? Another absolutely hilarious and well executed book from another absolutely hilarious and well executed NYC based comedian. At the end of May, Dave will embark on a completely non-pretentious book tour that will make its way to The Bell House on Thursday May 24th (one night after Dave has a public conversation with Ira Glass in SoHo). This no holds barred event will have Mr. Dave Hill pulling out all the stops with appearances by John Hodgman, Janeane Garofalo, David Rakoff and music by Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Nada Surf) and TAB the Band. There may even be an appearance by Little Michael Jackson, a bunch of lowrider cars, live animals, and maybe even a dunking machine. All tour dates, which were too difficult for me to cut and paste into this article because my hands hurt, can be found here. Tickets for the Brooklyn show, which are a measly $10, are available now. Oh, and buy the book if you haven't already because maybe he'll sign it or throw it out a window at one of his apperances, depending on the vibes. Check Dave's awesome book related rock and roll video, as well as a video featuring him, Dick Cavett, and Malcolm Gladwell, below.

Continue reading "Chris Gethard walking to Bonnaroo; Dave Hill touring with book"

DOWNLOAD: The Spits - "My Life Sucks" (MP3)

The Spits at Chaos in Tejas (more by Harriet Roberts)

The Spits begin their two night reign of punk goodness TONIGHT at Cake Shop (3/1) with tourmates TV Ghost and NYC punk MVPs Night Birds. The party continues tomorrow night at Knitting Factory (3/2, tickets) when The Spits/TV Ghost hit the Brooklyn venue with DJ Tony Lo-Fi. The tour continues on and eventually terminates with a show at Emo's East on 3/16 during SXSW with The Gories and more "special guests TBA". RSVP to get into that In the Red showcase for free.

In related news, Night Birds spent last night on The Chris Gethard Show with Julie Klausner. Did you catch it? if you missed it, watch the video below. Also down there is the previous episode with special guests Grizz Chapman (from 30 Rock), Tina Fey, Ted Leo and more.

Chris Gethard will be in Austin for SXSW too. Pick up a copy of his new book.

All Spits tour dates and tons of other stuff, below...

Continue reading "The Spits are on tour, in NYC, playing SXSW with the Gories; Night Birds played the Chris Gethard show (video)"

"there are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with , but you will find the right film or the right book , and it will understand you . "- Bjork

today in NYC
* stuff @ Barbes
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Jay-Z @ Carnegie Hall
* Howlin Rain @ Living Room
* Cate Le Bon @ Other Music
* Bjork @ New York Hall Of Science
* Nikolista, Lovebomb 69 @ Europa
* Commercial Interruption @ UCB
* Ted Leo hosts Hot Tub @ Littlefield
* Gotye, Sea of Bees @ Bowery Ballroom
* Jacques Labouchere @ Knitting Factory
* The Darkness, Foxy Shazam @ Irving Plaza
* Summer Camp, Field Mouse @ Mercury Lounge
* Thieving Irons, Bandana Splits @ The Rock Shop
* Comedy Central Corporate Retreat @ UCB East
* The Warsaw Village Band @ Le Poisson Rouge
* An Evening with Tom Kalin & Doveman @ MoMA
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Mirah, blair, Wrest, DJ Emoticon @ Glasslands Gallery
* Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, The Dust Busters @ City Winery
* "Harsh Realm", The Babies, Punks on Mars @ Cake Shop
* Dan Neustadt plays Radiohead's "OK Computer" @ Knitting Factory
* The Lighthouse and The Whaler, Ravens & Chimes @ Mercury Lounge
* Reptar, Fort Lean, Tiny Victories, Casual Curious @ Shea Stadium
* Behold... The Arctopus, Seabrook Power Plant, Normal Love @ Death By Audio
* Tony Scherr Trio, Anton Fier, Rob Jost, Jim Campilongo Electric Trio, Stephan Crump, Tony Mason @ Living Room

Thieving Irons (ex Pela) plays The Rock Shop every Monday in February, including tonight with Bandana Splits (featuring Dawn Landes).

Doveman speaks about film at MoMA tonight, plays with Hannah Cohen at Rockwood Music Hall on Tuesday.

Jay-Z's super expensive Carnegie Hall shows are not sold out.

Colin Quinn, Chris Gethard, Myq Kaplan, Dan St Germain, Joe Mande & Hari Kondabolu will all be at Whiplash tonight.

Who knew the Darkness would become a trending topic between their first Irving Plaza show and their second which is tonight. Check iut

Dominick Fernow of Cold Cave (and other projects) curated Feb 1-15 at The Stone.

Be our friend on Facebook.

Be BV Chicago's friend on Facebook too.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.

Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

SXSW is coming. Follow @bvSXSW on twitter too.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

by BBG

Mike of Night Birds gets a bug's eye view at ABC No Rio (more by Keith Marlowe)

Let's get down to it... Mike's last live show with Night Birds will be January 12th in Brooklyn, NY. The band has become a fairly time-consuming commitment, and with the other three of us really pushing and wanting to do even more, Mike just wasn't able to divert enough time from his new record store and his more recent writing projects. With the best intentions of both the band and himself in mind, he has made the decision to part ways with Night Birds. After three years, we are obviously bummed to see him go, but we are all still on perfectly good terms and there is no bad blood. In fact, Mike will remain in the band, along side our new guitar player, to write our second full length LP this Winter, with hopes of recording in early Spring.

Mike was a huge part of Night Birds. If we didn't have the perfect replacement and it just didn't feel right, we would call it a day. We're very critical of ourselves, always have been, and would not do this band half-assed. We are very excited to welcome PJ Russo to the Night Birds lineup on guitar. He plays in a great band called PHIBES, and the second we started playing together, it really just clicked. He's a brilliant guitar player, and honestly fits the band perfectly. He will begin playing with us in February and you can come see for yourself.

If you can't make it to Lulu's to see off Mike, then make sure and head to see Night Birds with PJ on guitar supporting World Inferno Friendship Society on February 18th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are still available.

All tour dates (including a 2/29 Chris Gethard show?), as well as some streams and video are below.

Continue reading "Night Birds will wave goodbye to guitarist with a FREE show this week (tour dates)"

by Klaus Kinski

"I bought hummus at Costco. Now I have an intimidating amount of hummus. Every time I open the fridge, it eyeballs me. - Kurt Braunohler

The great Ted Leo closed out 2011 with a bang with sold-out full-band shows at the Bell House on December 30th and then on December 31st at Maxwells in Jersey. The comedically great Kurt Braunohler opened both of those shows, which is why I simply could not resist posting the troll-baiting tweet you see above.

Anyhow, it seems like Ted, aside from the benefit he's playing in Austin, is starting off the new year with a whimper because the Ted Leo calendar has absolutely nothing on it. Blankness. Bupkis. However, your man Klaus knows better. For example, it's a little known fact that Ted Leo will participate in the Rejection Show Music Series at Littlefield on Thursday January 19th at 8:00pm:

The Rejection Show Music Series gives musicians the chance to let loose, take risks, and perform songs that have yet to be heard, have gotten them through a time of rejection, or to simply cover their favorite songs of love, loss, and heartbreak. Featuring TED LEO performing excerpts from a musical that he penned, but has yet to be seen. The musical centers around the United Fruit Company, US corporate and military imperialism, bananas, and of course a love story! CORN MO performing songs based on the theme of Rejection, and more! Hosted by JON FRIEDMAN and featuring the REJECTION SHOW BAND.

I just read Gethard's book A Bad Idea I'm About to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure (pictured above) and it was truly one of the funniest, most brilliant comedian-penned books I've ever read... more on that someday soon, but let me get back on track here...

Back to Ted... Your second opportunity to see Ted is at How Was Your Week? LIVE! on Thursday February 2nd at 8pm at the Bell House. How Was Your Week? is a podcast hosted by the unbearably funny and so f-ing on her game Julie Klausner (love that last name prefix!). This live Klausner experience will feature the absolutely brilliant Best Show on WFMU host Tom Scharpling, the incomparable Sandra Bernhard, as well as house band Ted Leo! There will be surprise guests too, trust me. This show gets Klaus Kinski's This WILL Sell Out guarantee, so buy tickets NOW.

Chris Gethard, who also plays Whiplash tonight (1/9), takes on fellow author Stephen King in the video below...

Continue reading "upcoming comedy shows w/ Ted Leo; Chris Gethard's book"

Steve Earle (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Liam Finn @ The Rock Shop
* New Music Observatory @ The Stone
* Herculaneum, Tomas Fujiwara @ Zebulon
* Steve Earle, Allison Moorer @ City Winery
* Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ B.B. King Blues Club
* Jessica Pomerantz, Daniel Wayne @ Mercury Lounge
* Hot Tub w/ Kurt Braunohler & friends @ Littlefield
* Diehard, Saturday Night Duets, Pre War @ Cake Shop
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* David Wax Museum, Parkington Sisters, Bhi Bhiman @ Joe's Pub
* The Klezmatics, Lunasa, Les Chauds Lapins @ Highline Ballroom
* Dan Neustadt performs The Lemonhead's "Its a Shame About Ray" @ Knitting Factory
* Byron Westbrook, Phill Niblock, Michael Vincent Waller, Elizabeth Hoffman @ Pianos
* Opponents, Yellow Crystal Star, Rust Worship, Long Distance Poison @ Death By Audio

Steve Earle is in residency at City Winery.

Daniel Kitson is at Whiplash tonight and returns to St. Ann's tomorrow.

Chris Gethard, who has a book coming out tomorrow, plays Hot Tub and Whiplash tonight. Watch him talk shit about Anne Rice in a video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Last week Littlefield wasn't listing any more editions of "Hot Tub" on their schedule, but it is in fact back tonight (2/7). Corn Mo, Brent Sullivan, Adam Cayton-Holland, and Free Love Forum will all join Kurt Braunohler (but maybe not Kristen) at the Brooklyn venue this evening. There's also a lineup listed for 2/14 - "Found Footage Festival, Sandra Bauleo, Surprise Guests, + more!" (and Kristen's name is on that bill).

Tonight is also another edition of Kevin Allison's Risk! Storyslam at the Pit, and of course Whiplash at UCB (with Jay Pharoah, Adam Cayton-Holland, Brooke Van Poppelen & Roger Hailes).

Speaking of UCB, the Chris Gethard Show returns to the venue on February 19th. Chris recently returned from a tour that kicked off with some help from Diddy.

Speaking of Diddy (not actually), the great Reggie Watts has announced another big headlining show. Having already sold out Manhattan's Highline Ballroom, his next big NYC conquest will be Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 30th. Tickets for the "partially seated show" go on sale Friday at noon.

Reggie will also join Eugene Mirman (and Kumail Nanjiani) for a special Boston edition of "Pretty Good Friends" on March 1st. Meanwhile catch the next edition of Mirman's "Pretty Good Friends" at its usual home of Union Hall in Park Slope this Sunday (2/13), and don't miss the extra-large Brooklyn edition coming to the Bell House on 2/27 in honor of Michael Showalter's new book.

And speaking of The Bell House and new books...

TUE 2/8: 8pm / FREE
JON GLASER BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Please join us for an evening of readings and music from Jon Glaser's new book "My Dead Dad Was In ZZ Top" (Harper Perennial), followed by general hanging out good times. Paul Rudd, Scott Adsit, John Hodgman, Zoe Lister-Jones, Ira Kaplan, Jon Hamm, and other special guests are scheduled to appear. Books will be on sale, plus the first 25 people to purchase books receive a special free un-named gift!

Last but not least, Tuesday night live comedy series "Tell Your Friends" (who are advertisng a secret musical guest for this Tuesday's show) are releasing a movie! Trailer (starring Reggie Watts, Kurt Braunohler, Kristen Schaal and many others) and more details below...

Continue reading "Hot Tub, Reggie Watts, Whiplash, Jon Glaser's book, Tell Your Friends the movie, Chris Gethard & more shiat"

"I can never thank @iamdiddy enough. And everyone who helped make that happen on any level. Never give up. #diddygethard" - Chris Gethard

Puff Daddy & Chris Get Hard @ UCB (photo by Ari Scott)

"At about 11:30 p.m. [on Friday], Mr. Gethard (pronounced GETH-erd) could be found in his mended glasses, pacing the pea-green dressing room of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Chelsea. He had been told Diddy would be arriving soon, but then, that rapper had broken promises to him in the past, and he was trying to keep his expectations in check.

"He just lives on a different planet from me," said Mr. Gethard, who was drinking from a 16-ounce can of Red Bull and repeatedly applying ChapStick to his lips. "I have no idea why he's doing this."

Then, through a back door, Diddy arrived, as unassumingly as one could enter a room with a hulking bodyguard (as well as an assistant and his teenage son, Justin). Dressed casually in a thermal shirt and jeans, Diddy (whose given name is Sean Combs) introduced himself to Mr. Gethard and the other comedians he'd soon be performing with. They chatted about the night's routine and Mr. Gethard warned Diddy not to take personal offense at anything in the show.

"That's good," Diddy replied, "because I'll talk about everything.""
[NY Times]

I don't know when the next edition of The Chris Gethard Show hits UCB in NYC, but you can catch Chris and the gang on tour across the country now, and with some effort you can figure out (or influence) exactly where. All I know (and they know) is that the tour ends at UCB n LA on 1/27. A video with some more info on the tour is below too.

Meanwhile, head to UCB in NYC on Monday night (1/17) to catch the next edition of Whiplash with special guests John Mulaney (SNL), Moshe Kasher, Mike Drucker, Jim Marsdale, and... Daniel Kitson who has that night off from his current St Ann's Warehouse run.

Video of Chris Gethard reaching out to Diddy, Diddy at UCB, videos of Gethard and friends on the road, and more below...

Continue reading "Chris Gethard (on tour now) landed Diddy as his guest @ UCB (where Daniel Kitson will be Monday night)"