Do you like to laugh? Do you like to do so in big outdoor arenas with a host of cool comedians? Then you should know about Funny or Die's Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival, which will tour around the U.S. for five weekends in August and September. The festival, which will span two stages of hilarity, is headlined by Dave Chappelle and Flight of the Conchords, and also features Al Madrigal, Brody Stevens (who'll MC the second stage), Chris D'Elia, Demetri Martin, Hannibal Buress, Jim Jefferies, John Mulaney, Kristen Schaal, and many more.

The tour hits the general NYC area for shows at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on September 6, and PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on September 7. Tickets to both shows go on sale Friday (6/21) at 10 AM. All tour dates are listed, along with a video promo for the tour, below.

Continue reading "Dave Chappelle, Flight of the Conchords and more comedians playing traveling Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival (dates)"

by Klaus Kinski

I have got a WICKED soft-spot in my soul for the great Tenacious D. Back in the day when I was still a young pup exploring the world of comedy at large, a friend of mine gave me a VHS tape (recorded in EP mode) that featured David Cross' special The Pride is Back as well as every single episode of the HBO Tenacious D television series. I was familiar with Jack Black from other things, but this series blew my mind apart into about eighteen different piles of pinkish green sludge. To this day (and I have been and will continue to be raked over the coals for this analogy) I think Jack Black is a phenomenal singer who brings to mind someone like the great Mike Patton. Their zeal for the majesty of rock and the hilarious adventures he and the cherubic Kyle Gass got into made the series an instant fave of yours truly.

Over the years, The D has given us great music, great videos, great tours, and great laughs. But now, they are giving us the mother of all gifts: FESTIVAL SUPREME! Curated by (and featuring) Tenacious D, Festival Supreme is a one day comedy/music fest taking place on the Santa Monica Pier in California on Saturday October 19, 2013. This rain-or-shine, nearly seven-hour event features a line-up that is so incredible that I had to read it like 7 times. Attendees will thrill to the comedy and music of Tim and Eric, The Mr. Show Experience(!), The Mighty Boosh, Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifianakis, Adam Sandler, The Gregory Brothers (aka the Autotune the News guys), Tig Notaro, Hannibal Buress, Eric Idle, Fred Armisen, Princess (Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum), Will Forte, Demetri Martin, Dynasty Handbag, Reggie Watts, Beardyman, Craig Robinson and the Nasty Delicious, Garfunkel & Oates, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Neil Hamburger Band, The Abe Lincoln Story, Nancy and Beth (Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt), and, of-fuckin-course, Tenacious D. I've included the list below for those of you who see things better visually as a list.

Pre-sale tickets will be available on Wednesday, June 12 at 10 AM PST (password is SUPREME). Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10am PST on Friday, June 14 at 10 AM PST. General admission tickets are $99 (plus fees), and VIP tickets are $250 (plus fees). VIP tickets include a VIP viewing platform of the main stage, VIP bar, access to golden toilets and special merchandise. Also, sorry kiddos, this is a 21+ event. HA! Grow up.

Preview video and line-up in list form is below.

Continue reading "Tenacious D plan 'Festival Supreme' with Mr. Show, The Mighty Boosh, Tim & Eric, Zach Galifianakis, Adam Sandler & more"

Hannibal w/ Mario and Alvin at his 30th birthday party...

COME AND SEE A SPECIAL EDITION OF COMEDY AT THE KNITTING FACTORY. ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 24TH WE MOVE THE SHOW INTO THE BACK ROOM. THERE WILL STILL BE GREAT COMICS BUT THE BACKROOM HAS BETTER TECH AND A PROJECTOR THAT ALLOWS US TO SHOW PORNOGRAPHY WHENEVER THERE'S A LULL IN THE SHOW. WE HAVE TO CHARGE MONEY. IT'S 5 BUCKS IN ADVANCE. THAT'S NOT A LOT OF MONEY. THAT'S ONE NAKED JUICE OR A NICKLE BAG OF WEED. (FROM THAT TIME IN OUR LIVES WHEN YOU COULD GET A BAG OF WEED FOR 5 BUCKS.) I DIGRESS. COME CHECK IT OUT. THERE WILL BE SOME OTHER PEOPLE ON THE SHOW. IT'LL BE FUN. SALUTATIONS.

That's a message from Knitting Factory's Sunday Night Comedy host Hannibal Buress. Some of those other people include Todd Barry and Michael Che, and as Hannibal mentioned above, this Sunday's (2/24) show is five bucks and tickets are on sale now.

UPDATE: Hannibal himself chimed in in the comments: "We're trying to make the transition into the backroom. We're going to try it out monthly. Todd Barry had to reschedule so he won't be on the show on Sunday."

In other news, Hannibal Buress recently turned 30 which was celebrated at Knit in November with Prince Paul DJing, and appearances from Action Bronson, Spongebob, Mario, Alvin Chipmunk and others. Video of that below...

Continue reading "Hannibal Buress turned 30, throwing special edition of comedy night at Knitting Factory"

As we've said before, Reggie Watts is a busy beaver and and true performer who'll loves to get on stages big or small. Tonight NYC has two chances to catch him.  First he'll be performing at The Blind Barber on E. 10th St. at 7:30 as part of an event titled "An Evening of Original Sin" that is a fundraiser for Genesis, a new aerial play by Julia Kaminsky. Also performing is onetime Das Racist cohort Lakutis. More info on the show is here.

Then, Reggie will hop on the L Train (or take a cab) to head to Cameo's weekly free comedy show, "Big Terrific." It's host Max Silvestri's 30th birthday tonight and he's also got Hannibal Buress and Greg Johnson on board for the celebration. Big Terrific starts at 8 PM and is FREE.

On the cusp of inheriting his father's estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker - "Tim & Eric Awesome Show") is an aging hipster with unlimited options. He spends his days with like-minded friends ("Tim and Eric" co-star Eric Wareheim, LCD Soundsytem frontman James Murphy and comedian Gregg Turkington a.k.a."Neil Hamburger") in aimless recreation and endless games of comic irreverence. Director Rick Alverson's provocative character study touches a darkness behind the humor that resonates with viewers long after the story ends.

As previously mentioned, new comedy The Comedy also stars Matador-signed comedian Jeffrey Jensen, Will Sheff (of Okkervil River), and many more. You may have caught an early screening of the film over the summer (like at BAMcinemafest), but the flick officially opens this month in limited theaters thanks to Tribeca Film. Check out the full list of locations and dates, along with the trailer and another video clip, below.

Those in LA get a shot at seeing the movie as early as this Friday (11/9) at the Cinefamily where Tim Heidecker will be in person, as part of a Q&A. Can't make that one? The Q&A will also be streaming online.

The film opens in NYC next Friday (11/16) at BAMcinematek in Brooklyn. Heidecker and Alverson will be in attendance for evening Q&As on Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17. Tickets are on sale.

You can see it earlier, though, and in Williamsburg where the film takes place. BrooklynVegan is proud to present a special FREE SCREENING of The Comedy at Knitting Factory THIS SUNDAY, November 11. No RSVP required. Doors are at 5 PM and the screening starts at 5:30, first come, first served. Hope to see you there (you can even take the L now if you have to).

You might also want to stick around at Knit after for a special three-year anniversary edition of Hannibal Buress' comedy show for which advance tickets are available and advised ("special guests"). Comedy after the Comedy (and P.S. you can also catch The Comedy actor Will Sheff as part of a Sandy benefit at Knitting Factory tonight)

The Comedy also has a soundtrack coming out next week on Jagjaguwar that includes tracks from Gayngs, Gardens & Villa, Here We Go Magic and Donnie & Joe Emerson to name a few. Full soundtrack listing is below.

Continue reading "The Comedy is coming to theaters, but first a free BV screening; Soundtrack being released too"

"Whoever said sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, is a fucking idiot. Not only that, it stops me killing people" - Ricky Gervais last night at NYCF (via @newyorkcomedyfest)

John Hodgman and Ricky Gervais @ NYCF 11/07/2012 (via @yarp4cornetto)

The New York Comedy Festival got underway last night with Ricky Gervais shooting the breeze with John Hodgman at Town Hall. The fest keeps the laughs going all weekend.Tonight's (11/8) big event is the "Stand Up for Heroes" benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Beacon Theatre with Mike Birbiglia, Ricky Gervais, Patton Oswalt, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams, John Maher and Roger Waters. Would you be surprised to learn that it's sold out? Well it is, and was also really expensive, but the good news is you can watch it online for free at 8pm EST!

Other shows tonight include Artie Lange at Town Hall, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans at Carolines (and you can still get tickets to those shows).

Other events this weekend include Patton Oswalt at Town Hall and Aziz Ansari at The Apollo on Friday (11/9), not to mention the Ben Stiller Show reunion at the Paley Center; Jim Gaffigan at The Apollo, Rob Delaney at NYU Skirball Center and Kevin Hart at MSG on Saturday (11/10); and Robin Williams in conversation with David Steinberg at 92nd St. Y on Sunday (11/11). There are lots of other shows happening as well, and full schedule and tickets are at the NYCF2012 website.

Also part of the NYCF is Hannibal Buress at Santos on Saturday (11/10) with DJ support from Prince Paul and Mike Lawrence. Tickets are still available. Hannibal is also celebrating the 3rd anniversary of his Sunday night comedy show at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn with a special show this week (11/11) in the main KF performance space (his shows are usually in the bar). Prince Paul will also be DJing this, plus "special guests." While Hannibal's shows there are usually free, this is a ticketed one ("We need the money to buy all of the party soup" - Hannibal). We're guessing it will be well worth it.

Oh, and if you're going to Knitting Factory Sunday, we also have a very good reason you should get there a few hours early.

As we saw yesterday, the power is back to most of Manhattan and many more shows are starting to happen. Subways are continuing to get better too. Yesterday we mentioned that the 4, 5, 6, and 7 trains were back up, and now the J and F train are back too. Current subway outage map is here.

If you're looking for ways you can help out with hurricane relief, head to http://www.nycservice.org/.

Here's our list of things happening or not happening in NYC on Sunday (11/4).

As mentioned on Saturday, Peter Wolf's shows are cancelled, but City Winery is opening tonight for a NYC stand-up comedy benefit for Hurricane Sandy victims.

The Bell House had been open for a few days, but they just tweeted, "Blown transformer, fire under the street, no power on our block." They're moving the "Bare! True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance" show to November 23 and are currently looking for a new location to do tonight's hurricane relief open mic.

Maxwell's, which is undamaged, finally got their power back, but unfortunately, "it came too late to enable [them] to host the Crooked Fingers/John Vanderslice show tonight," so that show has been cancelled. John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers did play a pre-transformer explosion show at The Bell House on Friday (11/2), and as hinted, John did in fact wear his Tigger costume.

Tonight's Marea show at SOB's is cancelled.

Tonight's Little Feat and Leon Russell show at Capitol Theatre has been postponed. New date TBA.

The previously discussed Samiam show is still on, and set to take off tonight at Saint Vitus (11/4) with guests Liquor Store and I'm With Cupid. Tickets are still available.

Mercury Lounge is open again and tonight's Fenster show with Howth, Norwegian Arms, and Steel Phantoms is still on. Tickets for that show are still available. Fenster were also supposed to play Shea Stadium and Muchmore's last week too but Sandy cancelled those.

As mentioned, the Molly Nilsson and Cat Martino show which was supposed to happen at Glasslands last Sunday (10/28) is instead happening at Public Assembly tonight with Amalie Bruun. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

Bowery Ballroom is back up and Gary Clark Jr. plays his first of three shows there tonight.

Mossenek (featuring Mick Barr and Chuck Bettis), Yoshiko Ohara (of Bloody Panda), and Entartete play Death by Audio tonight. It's the first show ever for Entartete, the new project of Speck Brown (ex-Orphan) who formed the band after the tragic passing of Brendan Majewski. Flyer for the show is below.

Le Poisson Rouge finally reopened last night and are open tonight too. Tonight they have a contemporary classical performance by pianist Jenny Q Chai at 6:30 PM, Dan Neustadt (of The Hold Steady, Northern Bells) playing Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation at 9 PM, and the rescheduled from Tuesday Kitsune Club Night with The Twelves, Yusek, and JDH & Dave P.

Hannibal Buress, who couldn't make it to his weekly Sunday comedy show at Knitting Factory last week due to the hurricane, is back in action tonight.

Knitting Factory is also hosting Band Slam the Vote tonight, rescheduled from Thursday (11/1), with Lonesome Empire, The Nepotist, Laura Faye, Ionie, Dream Logic, Sophia Urista, and Joy and The Hansons. The show now also doubles as a hurricane benefit concert, and "all proceeds from ticket sales will go to support non-profit Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts."

UCB Theatre and UCB East are both open and UCB Theatre hosts their weekly ASSSSCAT 3000 shows while UCB East has a stand-up open mic at 5:30 PM, Indie Cage Match at 7:30 PM, Improv Nerds at 9 PM, and The Improv Nerds Jam at 10 PM.

Power is back on at The Stone in the East Village tonight (11/4) so look for a pair of shows including an early 8PM show with Victor Poison-Tete (of rat at rat r) and a 10PM show with Tamio Shiraishi and Cammisa Buerhaus.

Barbes opens this afternoon with the first of four events at the venue tonight. Two showings of Señor Calavera's JUST IN CASE, "an interactive image and music driven dramatization of the book Just in Case by Yuyi Morales, go down at 2:30pm and 4PM today, followed by a performance of The Four Bags at 8PM, Amour Obscur at 9PM and la Sabrosa Sabrosura at 10PM.

Trash Bar is hosting a Hurricane Relief Concert & Jam.

Celestial Shore, Grass Is Green, Baked, and Highway Gimps play Big Snow tonight.

The Reckless Collected, The Dharma Body, Model Stranger, and Shayna Sands play Cameo Gallery tonight.

Street Smells, Easy Lover, Eastern Hollows, and No Kill play Glasslands tonight.

The Living Room is open and are hosting The Lombardi Case 1975 at 2 PM, Afro-Jersey at 7 PM, and Daniel Wayne at 9:30 PM.

The Studio at Webster Hall is hosting Get Out the Vote with Patrick Toussaint, Mad Moiselle, Siya, Shamar Forte, and Wes Cyphers.

The Schtick or Treat Halloween comedy show, was postponed from last Monday (10/29) to tonight at Littlefield. Littlefield also hosts an early show, Yellow Sneaker Sock Hop: Puppet Show and Album Launch.

Union Pool is open and holding a hurricane benefit drive. They write, "We are holding a drive for our fellow New Yorkers in Staten Island Sunday November 4th from 1-6pm. This will be the first of many drives we hold for the communities affected by the devastation that is Hurricane Sandy." Head to Union Pool's site to see the list of items they'll be accepting.

Union Hall is open and hosting Rolie Polie Guacamole with special guest Lou Gallo at 3 PM, and Eugene Mirman's Pretty Good FRiends show at 7:30 PM with host Caroline Creaghead and guests Myq Kaplan, Kendra Cunningham, Zoe Coombs Marr, and Max SIlvestri.

Justin Walter and Ryan Ferriera will perform at Zebulon, which is open for business in Williamsburg tonight.

After returning to some sense of normalcy yesterday, Joe's Pub will host Public Forum Duet: Anna Deavere Smith and David Simon early and John Kelly later at the venue.

Bad Side, Holidays, The Guts and Pity Party are ready to take on The Acheron tonight.

Brooklyn Bowl is open.

Uriah Heep plays BB King's tonight.

Santos Party House was closed last night and don't have anything listed for tonight either, but Monday's (11/5) MNDR, Colourmusic, Shiny Toy Guns, and Static Summer show is still a go. Deidre & the Dark (Deidre of Savoir Adore) (who just played NYC) also plays Santos on Monday with Gin Wigmore. However, the Etienne De Crecy show is cancelled.

Cake Shop got their power back and hosted The Luyas and Peace last night, but they have nothing scheduled for tonight.

The Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke Band play The Blue Note tonight. A portion of ticket sales will go to the American Red Cross.

Tonight's Leslie West show at Iridium Jazz Club tonight has been postponed to a TBA date in January.

Arlenes's Grocery is back open and tonight they've got Lhabya, The Juvenals, ElixirOnMute, and Bear Language.

As mentioned yesterday, Rockwood Music Hall is back open.

Friday's David Choi and Clara C show at Highline Ballroom has been rescheduled for tonight. However, the Acoustic Africa Tour show has been cancelled. Refunds for that one are available at the point of purchase.

Monday's Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy show at Best Buy Theater has been rescheduled for tonight. All tickets will be honored.

Translator Audio and the associated South Sound studios/practice spaces, which were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, have set up a donation area. Donate if you can.

Terrence Hannum of Locrian has a new zine available for order now. The zine, which is based on art inspired by the pentagram, comes with a cassette that is to be listened to while viewing the zine. Check out a video preview of the zine below. Locrian has a new split with Horseback out now via Relapse Records.

Joey Bada$$ was joined by The Roots for his late night TV debut on Late NIght with Jimmy Fallon on Friday. Check out a video of him performing "Waves" below.

Continue reading "What is & isn't going on Sunday? (John Vanderslice/Crooked Fingers cancelled; Samiam, Fenster, Molly Nilsson, Gary Clark Jr, Entartete (ex-Orphan) & more are on)"

Hannibal Buress

Eugene Mirman, who just guested at the last-ever Hot Tub last night (10/1), has another show in NYC tonight (10/2) at The Bell House with a stacked lineup of Dave Hill, Glennis McCarthy, Michael Showalter, Hannibal Buress, Joseph Keckler, and Supercute!. Tickets are on sale for this show, dubbed The Talent Show, and it's a benefit for the I.S. 171 middle school band.

Eugene Mirman also plays a previously mentioned sold out show at the same venue next Monday (10/8) with Sarah Silverman, Mike Birbiglia, Reggie Watts, and special guests.

As for Def Leppard fan Dave Hill, he'll also be at nearby Union Hall for "Geeking Out" that also features Glynnis McCarthy, Dana Rossi, Mindy Raf and Ophira Eisenberg. (Tickets). There will be Dave's last shows in the US before he heads to London to do a book tour for his latest tome, Tasteful Nudes.

Meanwhile, you may be aware that Hannibal Buress has an ongoing comedy night residency every Sunday at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and this week's (10/7) is with Joyelle Johnson, Nick Turner, Akaash Singh, Brooke Van Poppolen, and DJ Roofeeo. Prince Paul DJ'd last week and Chris Rock showed up too.

Hannibal has other upcoming NYC appearances too. He'll be at Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs" at Beacon Theatre on October 13 with a large variety of guests including Bill Burr, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jimmy Kimmel, Tom Morello, Tracy Morgan, Bill O'Reilly, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and more. (Carly Rae Jepsen and Tom Morello on the same bill!) Tickets ranging from $130 to $605 are on sale now. Proceeds benefit autism programs across the country. Hannibal will also perform as part of the New York Comedy Festival at Santos Party House on November 10. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All Hannibal Buress dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Hannibal Buress performing tonight w/ Eugene Mirman, Dave Hill, Michael Showalter, and more ++ other upcoming shows"

photos by David Andrako, words by Andrew Frisicano

Phillip Glass & Frank Ocean

The first ATP NY festival within New York City limits, also known as "I'll Be Your Mirror USA", kicked off Friday night (9/21) at Pier 36 in Manhattan. The opening night featured a typically eclectic mix of acts: comedians Kurt Braunholer, Hannibal Buress and Janeane Garofalo, and musicians Lightning Bolt, Edan the DJ (filling in for Lee Ranaldo And Leah Singer, who canceled for "unresolvable technical issues"), Philip Glass and Tyondai Braxton (they played together), and Frank Ocean. Glass (piano) and Braxton (guitar, then synth) kept their set on the short side, performing Glass's "Étude No. 1" followed by No. 2 and No. 10 (which elicited cheers from the audience when announced). Quite a few people no doubt came just for the Glass performance, perhaps as a companion to his Einstein on the Beach opera currently running at BAM, but those same people seemed open to the following set by Frank Ocean (who had plenty of his own devotees in the house). Ocean, backed by a rich-sounding four-piece, played his way through a mostly Channel Orange set, with some Nostalgia/ultra songs thrown in and new opening track "Summer Remains." His songs, crisp on record, lend themselves to a live-band staging and the musicians dug into the grooves adding some supremely funky moments to the already hooky tracks. You can see his full setlist below.

The organizers did their best to give Pier 36, an expo space on the East River, a cozy feel for the festival. The two-stage set up features one platform outside, facing away from the FDR highway and surrounded by food trucks and porta potties. Inside, the massive hall was outfitted with a layer of carpet and couches and chairs along the walls for those needing a rest (this weekend's schedule runs 12 hours each day). Along the water, the Queen of Hearts (with a movie screen on board) was docked next to another outdoor area out back. Movies run all day, and there are beanbags in there, but you might want to stay away if you get seasick easily.

One girl we talked to in the crowd was in town from the UK and bought tickets just to see Frank Ocean for the first time. But she got there in time to see Lightning Bolt who, like the rest of the music before Frank on the bill, she ended up despising. Kudos to ATP for even getting her in front of a noise rock band though.

ATP day two, which fest co-curator Greg Dulli's band the Afghan Whigs is co-headlining along with The Roots, is already underway. Check out the slightly-outdated schedule HERE, and a picture of the current schedule (which you can print) below. Schedules are also available at the door, AS ARE TICKETS.

More pictures from day one, and Frank's full setlist, below...

Continue reading "ATP NYC -- day 1 pics, review & setlists (Frank Ocean, Philip Glass & Tyondai Braxton, Lightning Bolt & more)"

Eric Andre and Hannibal Buress will team up for a string of live dates to bring Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show to life again in the flesh. The East Coast dates kick off next week, and include a stop at The Studio at Webster Hall on September 21st with Victor Varnado and Sammy Bananas. Tickets are on sale. Stick around for a DJ gig from Eric Andre after the show.

Of course Hannibal Buress is always available at Knitting Factory every Sunday, including this Sunday (9/16) when he'll join W. Kamau Bell, Julia Segal, Zainab Johnson, and Daniel Simonsen.

All tour dates are listed below along with an Eric Andre Show video.

Continue reading "'The Eric Andre Show' touring w/ Hannibal Buress (dates)"

The National at Living History Farms 9/1/2012 (via@antoniorodrigueziv)

Lines stretched for blocks as Iowans lined up to see President Barack Obama at a campaign rally at Living History Farms in Urbandale, his seventh trip to the all-important swing state this year.

Some Iowans are bound to be disappointed because space is limited to the narrow main street at the outdoor museum. The gated venue was nearly full shortly before noon and hundreds were still waiting to get in.

The crowd is being routed through security and then a gantlet of volunteers trying to get them to vote early for Obama.

The president's visit - the second to Iowa this week alone - resembles a summer music festival, with performances by indie band The National and alternative-rock hero Chris Cornell. Both played very subdued sets rather than fiery crowd-rousers. The music competed with the whir of a black helicopter overhead. - [Des Moines Register]

As we mentioned last week, The National were tapped to perform before a speech by President Obama in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday (9/1) at Living History Farms where Soundgarden's Chris Cornell performed as well. There's video of The National's performance at the bottom of this post.

While on the subject of Obama support, Hannibal Buress, Rory Scovel and many more TBA will be performing at a benefit titled "Four More Years: A Benefit Show for the Status Quo" that happens at the Bell House on October 11. Tickets (proceeds of which go to benefit the Obama Campaign via PAC) are $20 and on sale now.

Obama is now in Charlotte, NC for the Democratic National Convention which is rolling on as we speak. The closing night party is being DJ'd by Adam 12 of She Wants Revenge. (Really??) What's in his record bag? Lots of Aretha, The Jackson 5 and even Tupac.

Adam 12 probably won't be playing any records by Frank Turner whose UK folk bent doesn't fit the playlist, but neither does his politics, despite a sound that might lead you to believe he's pals with Billy Bragg. Turner told The Guardian (via DailySwarm):

To start with, most people don't seem to understand what the difference between left and right is. For example, the BNP are a hard left party. I consider myself a libertarian, I consider myself to be pretty right wing and I get shit for saying that out loud. I was thinking about it the other day, I was thinking about how, quite often, I do keep myself to myself on the subject because I can't be fucking bothered to have some guy look all shocked at me because I think socialism's retarded.

Video of Chris Cornell and The National's Obama-opening set is below.

Continue reading "The National & Chris Cornell opened for Obama in Iowa; She Wants Revenge dude DJing DNC party & other news"

After teasing folks with a few names here and there -- like Run DMC most recently -- Austin's annual Fun Fun Fun Fest (Nov 2 - 4) has revealed it's full line-up, including Public Image Ltd, De La Soul, Superchunk, Santigold, Refused, X peforming Los Angeles, and lots, lots more. 3-day passes go on sale at 10AM CST.

Full FFF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest full lineup (De La Soul, Refused, Fucked Up, Public Image Ltd, Santigold, Sharon Van Etten, Rakim, X, Converge, Japandroids & more)"

The 2012 edition of Calgary, Alberta festival Sled Island is set to take place from June 20-23 at venues throughout the city. This year includes over 200 bands performing at 30 venues plus a large comedy schedule, film screenings, and art shows.

Sled Island 2012 will once again use outdoor venue Olympic Plaza as its main stage, featuring performances by Feist, The Hold Steady, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Dudes, Shabazz Palaces, Parlovr, and others.

Acts including Russian Circles, Hot Snakes, The Antlers, Boris, Thurston Moore, Willis Earl Beal, Trust, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Terry Malts, Neil Hamburger, How To Dress Well, The Evaporators (aka Nardwuar's band), DJ Jonathan Toubin, Hannibal Buress, Andrew W.K., Tim Heidecker, Archers of Loaf, and many more will be performing at various bars and venues. Check out the full lineup at the bottom of this post.

Festival passes, individual tickets for some clubs shows, and tickets for the Olympic Plaza events only are all on sale. The full festival schedule iwill be announced in June.

Full lineup and 2012 festival trailer below...

Continue reading "Feist, Stephen Malkmus, The Hold Steady and lots more playing Calgary's Sled Island Festival (full line-up)"

by Klaus Kinski

Neil Hamburger (more by Samantha Marble)

Speaking of those Faith No More reunion shows , it has been announced that America's funnyman Neil Hamburger (who opened those Faith No More shows) will be hitting the road with Duncan Trussell in June and performing at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Sunday June 17th (as part of the Northside Festival). Tickets are on sale right now but get them now while it's on your mind (or you can try to get in with your Northside badge). Because you will forget, it might sell out, and your friends will have to put up with your belly-aching.

The great Hannibal Buress has his show in the front room that Sunday (and every Sunday for that matter), so for my money the Knit is THE place to be on Sunday June 17th.

All dates, including NJ and CT, are listed below...

Continue reading "Neil Hamburger schedules tour dates w/ Duncan Trussell"

Deer Tick (more by Tim Griffin)

As part of SummerStage 2012, Red Hook Park in Brooklyn will host free shows for a week in June including, AraabMUZIK, Das Racist, Deer Tick, and a Comedy Central showcase featuring Hannibal Buress, Kevin Barnett, and Josh Rabintowitz. Check out the full schedule below...

Continue reading "June shows in Red Hook Park (Deer Tick, Das Racist & more)"

today in NYC
* ASSSCAT 3000 @ UCB
* Horse Lords @ The Stone
* Ida Blue @ Manhattan Inn
* Lightyear @ The Ace Hotel
* Pretty Good Friends @ Union Hall
* Gotye, Kimbra @ Terminal 5
* The Psychedelic Furs @ Maxwell's
* The Residents @ Abrons Arts Center
* Francisco Lopez @ Issue Project Room
* Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theatre
* Peter Evans, John Hebert, Kassa Overall @ Zebulon
* comedy night w/ Hannibal Buress @ Knitting Factory
* Brooklyn Philharmonic, Brooklyn Youth Chorus @ Roulette
* Toots and The Maytals, Fear Nuttin Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
* King Giant, Backwoods, Payback, Order of the Owl @ Saint Vitus
* Echodeck, Cyphered Threads, Hoist, White Bike @ Death By Audio
* Tamrin, The Shakes, Bad Credit No Credit @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
* Lone Wolf & Cub, Wild Yaks, Lemon Dilemma, Ice Balloons @ Union Pool
* The Vandelles, Electric Eel Shock, Hard Nips, Hot Cha Cha @ Cake Shop
* Teeth & Tongue, Christine Hoberg, Tough Luck, Jus Post Bellum @ Glasslands
* Miniature Tigers, Geographer, The Chain Gang of 1974, Speak @ Bowery Ballroom
* Riot of the Blood, Resolution 15, Death Immortal, No Remission, Anesthetized @ Trash Bar
* Japanther, Cerebral Ballzy, Ghost Mice, Diarrhea Planet, Osekre and The Lucky Bastards, Liquor Store, EULA @ Le Poisson Rouge
* The Aussie BBQ w/ Big Scary, Bonfire Nights, Busby Marou, Jonti, Jordie Lane, Oh Mercy, Pets with Pets, Saskia Sansom, Sparkadia, Teeth & Tongue, The Jefferson, Traveller & Fortune, Voltaire Twins, Wazu @ The Bell House

Tonight is our free screening of "The Island President" at Knitting Factory (FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED). We already awarded one pair of Radiohead tickets. Another pair gets awarded at the show. See the movie and still be home in time for (set your DVR just in case) the season premiere of Mad Men and Eastbound & Down.

Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) & Tammy Powers (Lily Tomlin) - photo by Fred Norris

For those not rushing home to see TV, our screening will be over right around the time Hannibal Buress starts his weekly free comedy night in Knitting Factory's front room (screening is in the back).

Check out the latest edition of Evillive for more metal.

Aputumpu Festival ends at Le Poisson Rouge tonight.

The Psychedelic Furs are wrapping up a weekend at Maxwell's tonight (both shows are/were sold out)

For all the Australia-philes, the 2012 Aussie BBQ is happening tonight, featuring Big Scary, The Jefferson, Jonti, and Jordie Lane, among others. Check out the full lineup and more details here. It runs until midnight according to the flyer you can see below.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff.
Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

Oberhofer played Letterman. Check out the video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

by Klaus Kinski

Pete & Pete reunion @ Bowery Ballroom, 2/24/2012 (photo by jenipherlyn)

Hey guys. So, lookit, you're about to ingest a lot of comedy data in a moment. But it's just the tip of the NYC comedy iceberg. No, it's less than the tip. It's a piece of dandruff that sailed from an Arctic explorer's head and settled on the tip of the iceberg. I don't have the time and you don't have the attention span to handle an entire survey of the NYC scene right now. What follows is a brief glimpse into some cool goings on in the coming weeks. Take it with a grain of dandruff.

First thing's first. Rob Delaney added a fourth NYC show, but you knew that. Moving on...

Did you miss the two Adventures of Pete & Pete reunion shows that happened at the Bowery Ballroom on February 24th? Bummer, right? Well, unfortunately the show I'm about to tell you about is already sold out, but where there's a will, there's a way (and that way could possibly include standby tix). Get a load of this. The great Kurt Braunohler has a late night talk show at The Pit called Night of the Living with Kurt Braunohler. The next installment of this show happens on Friday March 9th and features guest Mike Maronna (Pete) and Danny Tamberelli (Pete)! It's a fun sized, mini-reunion just for you! Also, Wyatt Cenac (Daily Show) will be there and a surprise musical guest who I am unable to mention, but whom we love and idolize here at BV headquarters (an internet cafe)! Hint, it is a man whose name may or may not rhyme with 'bread'.

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Thursday March 8th marks the return of Tom Shillue's story-telling-centric show Funny Story to the hallowed halls of UCB East. This time he will have guests Amine Zaitzeff (owner of Zaitzeff Burger), Mike Albo, the great Margot Leitman, and Stephen Gevedon. A super-diverse and well curated line-up. Show is at 7:30pm, tix are on sale.

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Speaking of burgers, Bob's Burgers is my favorite animated series on the TV and I was thrilled when it was (rightfully) renewed for another season (which premiers THIS Sunday March 11th on Fox). The casting a so fucking impeccable; H. Jon Benjamin, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Andy Kindler as well as guests like Jon Glaser. Holy! Well get a load of THIS shit. On Friday March 9th you can see the CAST OF BOB's BURGERS LIVE AT THE BELL HOUSE!! And IT'S FREE. I am not an all-caps kind of guy, but that pronouncement certainly merited such action. OK, full disclosure, the Bell House show doesn't feature the entire cast I listed above. The show will feature Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, and Larry Murphy doing funnies and also previewing clips from the next season. You can only get in with a wristband, and those will be distributed starting at 5:00pm. So, wristbands at 5pm, doors at 8pm, show sometime after that. 21+. Sorry, junior.

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While I'm on the subject of TV-related comedy, NYU's Skirball Center will play host to John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show from March 10th through March 12th. The show, being taped for Comedy Central, will include sets by David O'Doherty, Hannibal Buress, Wyatt Cenac, Dana Gould, Michael Ian Black, Marc Maron, and a shit-ton of rising stars from with the stand-up world. You can totally get in to these things for free, but you gotta head on over to The Blacklist NYC and get yourself situated. And for the record... as far as people who put together audiences for tapings, The Blacklist is pretty tops. Very well managed, never confusing, very organized. Totally rad. Just saying.

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Next Thursday, March 12th, Symphony Space will play host to an incredible comedy event called Uptown Showdown: Comedy Debate Series. This is not the first time Symphony Space has hosted this show, and I am wicked pissed at myself for not mentioning it to you people prior to earlier installments.

Uptown ShowDown is a comedy debate series that tackles some of the most important issues of our time, such as which decade was the coolest-the eighties or the nineties, is cake really better than pie and who would win in a showdown pirates or ninjas? Forget about school reform and health care, these issues, heatedly argued by some of the funniest, smartest, intensely wacky creative thinkers around, are the topics that keep us awake at night....in a good way. Past Performers include Michael Showalter, Leo Allen, Dave Hill, Jessi Klein, Julie Klausner, Andrea Rosen, A.D. Miles and more.

Next week's show will have Michael Ian Black and friends facing off with The talent Show's Elna Baker and Kevin Townley on the subject of Fashion vs. Comfort. Tom Shillue will host the festivities. Following the event, Mr. Ian Black will read from his new memoir You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations. He'll also sign your copy. I wish I could tell you how funny or awful this book is but I never got a galley copy because I am chopped liver or something. Tickets are on sale now, and I am also giving away a pair AND a copy of Michael Ian Black's book! Instructions below.

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The next installment of the mind-blowing experience known as Heart of Darkness will take place on Saturday March 17th at Union Hall. This time around, host Greg Barris will be joined by Joe Mande, Dave Hill, and more special guests that I shan't announce but are no doubt worthy of your attention. My thoughts? Get your tickets in advance, you.

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Speaking of Dave Hill, did you know that motherfucker wrote a book and that it comes out on May 22nd? If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then you're thinking "Wait, Dave Hill is a flawless comedian. Dave Hill is a master guitar player, maybe the best in the world. Dave Hill is easy on the eyes. And Dave Hill can also write a freaking book? What can't that guy accomplish?" I know, right? The book is entitled Tasteful Nudes. If you like stories...

...about stolen meat, animal attacks, young love, death, naked people, clergymen, rock 'n' roll, irritable Canadians, and prison, you have just hit a street called Easy because my book talks about all that stuff and a bunch of other stuff, too.

I am nobody's shill and I wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't the Cod's honest truth; this book is absolutely impossible to put down. It is so funny and well written that I simply could not put it down. Pre-order it now, then forget you pre-ordered it, so then one day it shows up in your mailbox and you're all "Ha. Dave Hill's done it again."

And speaking of Joe Mande, he has a ton of upcoming dates all over the Northeast. Check out his tour schedule below.

And now, before I hang it up for the day, I am happy to report that The PIT is going to unleash its first ever NYC Improv Festival! The NYC Improv Festival will take place from March 21st to March 24th at Peoples Improv Theater and feature OVER 40 improv troupes as well as workshops. A TON of the shows are free, and some require tickets. You can also buy a festival pass for next to nothing that will get you into all the shows. I also have two UNLIMITED festival passes to give away. Instructions on how to win them are down there.

Joe dates and contests below...

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (Bob's Burgers, contests, dates, an improv fest, Tom Shillue, Symphony Space & much more)"

Though it doesn't say it on their website, Mike Birbiglia promises that he's performing "Sleepwalk With Me" at Comic Strip Live tonight (12/12).

UPDATE: Mike's show starts at 8:30 and tickets go on sale at noon.

I don't know what time it starts and ends, but if it's done early enough you can then head to UCB West for this week's edition of Whiplash with Leo Allen and guests.

Alternatively, you can spend your Monday night with Kurt and Kristen in Brooklyn at Littlefield. Their guests at Hot Tub this week include Michael Showalter.

Head back to UCB West on Wednesday after work for a live WFMU broadcast of "7 Second Delay" with guests Lou Reed and Suzanne Vega.

UPDATE: Lou Reed is also making an appearance at Book Court tonight.

In other "live" comedy news, tickets are on sale for Star Talk Live at The Bell House on Sunday, December 18th. The lineup includdes Neil de Grasse Tyson, Eugene Mirman, and John Hodgman.

One night after that is the Hot Tub Holiday edition at Littlefield with Kurt, Kristen, Jon Glaser, Hannibal Buress, Adam the Real Man, and musical guest River City Extension.

Speaking of Hannibal Buress, he opened two shows for Aziz Ansari at the Bell House on Saturday night. We posted pictures.

Speaking of the Bell House, Rocket from the Tombs plays there tonight!

Didn't get a ticket to Louis CK? Live in Jersey and want to not pay a toll before seeing a show for once? As previously mentioned, the awesome Brian Posehn headlines Starland Ballroom TONIGHT (9/30) and tickets are still available.

But that's not all. The laughs continue this weekend in Hoboken when the Hoboken Comedy Festival takes over Maxwell's on both Saturday and Sunday. Hannibal Buress, Todd Barry, and many more will grace the rock club's stage over the two days. Godfrey and others also play the fest's first night at Clearview Cinemas tonight.

For more comedy, and in NY, check out the post we posted last night.

photos by David Andrako

The 2011 Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival concluded on Sunday night (9/18) with two shows at the Bell House. "A Special Food-Themed Comedy Show For You" was hosted by Eugene Mirman and Leo Allen, with Ron Funches, Sarah Vowell, Larry Murphy, Raquel Pelzel and David Rees. "Pretty Good Friends", hosted by Michael Showalter, was with Eugene Mirman, Marc Maron (who plays the same Brooklyn venue again tonight/Monday), Hannibal Buress, Jared Logan and surprise musical guest Andrew Bird.

Andrew played four songs: Goin Home (Charlie Patton), So Much Wine (Handsome Family), Bein' Green (Joe Raposo), and Give It Away (new song).

Congrats to Mirman & co for another great year! Looking forward to 2012. Pictures from 2011 are HERE, HERE, HERE, and below...

Continue reading "Andrew Bird played! -- Eugene Mirman Comedy Fest Day 4 pics (Marc Maron, Sarah Vowell, Michael Showalter & more)"

All Tomorrow's Parties returns to the USA this September in the new location of Asbury Park, N.J. bringing an I'll Be Your Mirror event to the iconic waterfront. For the inaugural U.S. I'll Be Your Mirror, Portishead will curate and headline their firrst East Coast shows since 1998 on the Saturday & Sunday.

As well as Day Tickets, ATP have to date been selling two types of weekend pass - "Three Day Jeff Mangum" passes that include Jeff Mangum's Friday show and guarantee access to one of the Portishead shows (as well as everything else at the festival) and "Three Day Portishead" passes that do not give access to Jeff's Friday show but give guaranteed access to both Portishead shows as well as the rest of the festival. Today we announce a third type of weekend pass...

Portishead have invited Jeff to play an extra show on the Sunday night of the festival. Therefore this week we release new "Three Day Jeff Mangum Sunday Passes" - these give access to all three days of the festival to passholders who will see Jeff Mangum on the Sunday night and are guaranteed to see one of the two Portishead shows. The original Three Day passes for the event are now called "Three Day Jeff Mangum Friday Passes."

Say that all three times fast. All three day pass options are still on sale. More details on all ATP ticket options are below.

That means Jeff is playing Asbury Park three times, twice during the actual festival (see above), and, as you know, once on Monday (10/3) at Paramount Theatre (the day after ATP and not actually part of the fest itself). The Monday show has been sold out for a while now, but ATP are releasing a few more tickets for it. "To buy email feedback@atpfestival.com with JEFF MONDAY TICKETS in subject line, and tell us how many tickets you want. We will respond as soon as possible. Payments must be made by Paypal." A Hawk and a Hacksaw (ft. Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeremy Barnes) open the show.

ATP NJ has a few other lineup additions including Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 (they first reunited to play the Animal Collective ATP that recently happened in the UK), avant guitar hero Marc Ribot, avant sax hero Colin Stetson, avant comedian Reggie Watts, and others. Also: "Today we are also very pleased to announce that in conjunction with The Jonathan Levine Gallery, renowned artist SHEPARD FAIREY (who has created the art for this event and will also DJ) will be presenting an exhibition of his art over the weekend entitled Revolutions: The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey. More details of the exhibition will be confirmed soon."

The updated lineup is below, along with updated Jeff Mangum tour dates (he added a few other shows recently too)...

Continue reading "ATP NJ adds another Jeff Mangum show, a new kind of pass & some more bands to the lineup"

Reggie Watts' upcoming March 30th headlining show at Music Hall of Williamsburg "in celebration of his Reggie Watts Live at Third Man Records record release" has sold out, so they added a 2nd show happening later that same night. Look for tickets to the new show to go AmEx presale Wed at noon, and general sale Friday at noon.

Meanwhile Reggie is headed to Texas where he'll appear at 35 Conferette in Denton followed by a show at SXSW Interactive. And in RELATED news, there's a comedy show happening Tuesday night at Cake Shop that sounds really interesting. Details below...

Continue reading "Reggie Watts sells out MHOW, adds 2nd show & stuff"

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!

That's like half the cast of the new New Pornographers video all in one place and it's free!

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"

Considering Brooklyn comedian Myq Kaplan's CD was recorded live at NYC comedy club Comix and named one of the best comedy albums of 2010 by Dusted and has a name like "Vegan Mind Meld" and was released all the way back in April, I'm a little slow to this party, but better late than never.

Catch Myq (who was also on the lineup of last night's Whiplash) do standup for FREE TONIGHT (2/1) at Royal Oak with Hannibal Buress, Giulia Rozzi, Micah Sherman, and The Pendulum Swings featuring Jason Trachtenberg of The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players.

Alternatively, Todd Barry is on the lineup of Tell Your Friends! at Lolita Bar tonight.

Listen to Craig Ferguson say "vegan" and watch other videos below...

Continue reading "I just realized Myq Kaplan's CD is called 'Vegan Mind Meld'"

Tim & Eric have added a November 27th late show at the Best Buy Theatre in NYC, so they're now playing two shows at the same venue in one night. Tickets are on sale. More dates HERE.

On other comedy news, check out Eugene Mirman's posted set of tour dates:

Sun, Nov 7 - Tearing The Veil of Maya @ Union Hall
Sun, Nov 14 - Tearing The Veil of Maya @ Union Hall
Sat, Jan 22 - Opening for Aziz Ansari @ Carnegie Hall

You can also catch Eugene at Brooklyn Bowl in November and at the Rock Shop in December, and probably many other Sundays at Union Hall in the future (as Tearing the Veil of Maya is semi-regular occurrence that recently turned four)

And don't forget you can catch Hannibal Buress (friend of Avey Tare?) for free every Sunday at Knitting Factory in another section of Brooklyn, including on Halloween (Tearing the Veil of Maya is taking that day off).

PREVIOUSLY: Nick Kroll has some tapings coming up

Check out a video of Reggie Watts playing a song about pancakes on his iPhone below...

Continue reading "Tim & Eric add a show, Eugene Mirman & Hannibal Buress every Sunday & other comedy stuff too"