by Klaus Kinski

OK, rather than bore you to tears with one of my usual exhausting preambles about how great the NYC comedy scene is, I am simply going to throw out a handful of shows coming up that are well worth your attention. (Unless you're a humorless slob who has nothing better to do than hate everything.) For everyone else, what follows is some totally awesome news. You're welcome, in advance.

First off, as mentioned already, the great Louis CK will be doing two pretty last minute shows at The Bell House on Friday September 30th aka TODAY at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. The shows go onsale Friday September 30th aka TODAY at 10:00am, so get those refresh button fingers limbered up. After that, your next official opportunity to see Louis in NYC is on Thursday November 10th at the Beacon Theater as part of the New York Comedy Festival.

And speaking of comedy in Brooklyn, don't forget that tickets are on sale for Mike Birbiglia's show happening on Tuesday October 18th at Union Hall. Though, there's a good chance the show will be sold out by the time you read this. This is a CMJ show believe it or not.

But back to the Bell House for a second. On Thursday October 20th, the really and truly wonderful Julie Klausner brings her podcast How Was Your Week? to the Bell House stage with a truly incredible line-up that actually sort of reads like the guest list on a good night of The Best Show on WFMU. The line-up so far includes Ted Leo, Paul F. Tompkins, Billy Eichner, and Special Surprise Guests. And knowing Julie, those surprises are bound to be way beyond worth the cost of admission. And speaking of the cost of admission, I am truly dumfounded that this show isn't sold out yet. Oh, but you know what is sold out? The TWO Paul F. Tompkins shows happening at The Bell House on October 22nd and October 23rd. You know what's nuts about those PFT shows? He won't be doing the same material both nights. Holy!

On Tuesday November 1st, the House will play host to a John Hodgman "That Is All" Official Book Release Party. The cost of admission will get you a copy of the book as well as other treats, including Jonathan Coulton. Totally brunchcore.

Yikes! Lemme loop back to CMJ comedy shows taking place at Union Hall this year. I'd be an idiot (well, a bigger idiot than I already am) if I didn't mention that one of NYC's most awe-inspiring comedy/variety/brainz shows Heart of Darkness will bless Union Hall with its majesty on Saturday October 22nd. The show is hosted by Greg Barris and will feature Greg Johnson, Dave Hill, Mind Warrior Michael Wigler and a SPECIAL GUEST! For the uninitiated, it might make sense to learn about the show here. Best to go into these things prepared.

Oh, but before I go to bed, here's another show worth noting, but be warned, this one takes place in Manhattan. Comedic wunderkind Michael Ian Black will be doing a show at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday November 10th as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Bowery does seem like an odd venue choice for me because, well, it's too small for MIB and, well, ya don't often see comedy there. I am pretty sure the last comedy show I saw there was the Invite Them Up CD release party way back in 2005. But I ain't complainin. Bowery is one of my favorite rooms in the city, and I love MIB ever so much. Tickets are on sale, though I doubt for much longer. Shit gone sellout ASAP, son.

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Jonathan Coulton @ Williamsburg Watefront

After playing a waterfront show last month with They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton will take to the high seas on Friday August 19th for a show aboard the Jewel, a Rocks Off NYC Concert Cruise. Tickets are on sale. The show is a prelude to his US tour with TMBG which will occur in two legs: East Coast/Midwest in September and West Coast in November. Full tour schedule is below.

If you can't make it on Friday, you can still catch comedian/songwriter "JoCo" on a boat, but the destination will be much different...

JoCo Cruise Crazy II is a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise in 2012 on Holland America's ms Westerdam, with music, comedy and performances from Jonathan Coulton and friends. It departs from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on February 19th and returns February 26th, with ports of call at Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Willemstad (Curacao), Antilles.

All dates and more of a second set of pictures from Coulton's rainy appearance at Williamsburg Waterfront, below...

Continue reading "Jonathan Coulton playing boats & shows with TMBG (more dates & pics from Williamsburg Waterfront)"

PFT @ 92YTribeca in 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Marc Maron hosts and curates WTF with Marc Maron at The Bell House tonight (6/1). An early show starts at 7 PM with Jonathan Katz, Will Arnett, Judy Gold, Marina Franklin, and Keith Robinson. The late show starts at 9 PM with Wyatt Cenac, Sam Lipsyte, Tom Scharpling, Horatio Sanz, and Kevin Allison. Both shows are sold out.

You can still get tickets however for the two Paul F. Tompkins shows happening at the same venue on October 22 and 23. Both nights will have completely different sets, and be recorded for a new comedy album. To quote Paul, "Be there, and be a part of history!*

* Once the show is over, it will be in the past and considered, technically, history."

Meanwhile catch Paul every month at the Largo in LA.

Still no word on the impending Citizen's Arrest reunion, but you can officially nix a Brutalist Bricks broadway production. A new video of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists in training for the great white way (aka his video of "Bottled In Cork" featuring Paul F. Tompkins, John Hodgman, and others including some of you) is below - BBG.

Continue reading "new comedian-filled Ted Leo video (is the big reveal)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Ted Leo played a three song, acoustic set at 92YTribeca last night (4/23). The mostly-comedy show was not affiliated with the Tribea Film Festival, though the fest is holding some events at that venue and many other places in the same neighborhood this week.

Ted Leo performed his firs two songs solo, one of which was a cover of Nick Lowe's "So It Goes". The third song was a duet with comedian, and host of the evening, Paul F. Tompkins. They did "Atlantis" by Donovan. Ted Leo's next NYC-area show is in NJ. More pictures from 92Y below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo, Paul F Tompkins & friends @ 92YTribeca - pics "

by Andrew Frisicano

Ted Leo R/X + Andrew WK @ Indie Rock Karaoke (more by Ryan Muir)

Titus Andronicus played the Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 18th with their current tourmates, the impeccably bearded fellows of Lucero.

Since then, Titus went ahead and added a headlining gig at MHOW to its already busy schedule of upcoming shows. The new Brooklyn show will take place Saturday, June 6th. Tickets are on sale now.

Also in June, Titus is touring with Ted Leo (who has to have a new album due at some point?). They'll stop at Kearny, NJ's Irish American Association on June 21st. Tickets are still on sale for that show.

Ted Leo is known as a pretty jocular guy. A regular on The Best Show on WFMU, his comedy-related credits also include an appearance on Human Giant's 24-hour marathon in 2007 where he dished with show hosts Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. Last fall, Ted + R/X even backed up a karaoke set hosted by Andrew WK (proof above). Around that time, Ted also released a split 7" with comedian Zach Galifianakis.

He'll continue that trend Thursday, April 23rd when he appears as the musical guest at Comedy Below Canal at 92YTribeca. Paul F. Tompkins hosts the night, which will feature comics Lisa deLarios, Christian Finnegan and others.

Tickets for that show are on sale AND we have a pair to give away. Details (with a video of Ted Leo on the Human Giant marathon) below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo playing 92YTribeca, Titus Andronicus add NYC show"

by Andrew Frisicano

Aimee Mann is going on tour this July across the Northeast US. Those dates include three nights at NYC's City Winery, on July 13th, 14th, and 15th. The venue has announced that tickets for those shows will go on sale today (Friday, April 3rd) at 10am (whether that's a member presale or general sale is unclear).

She's also playing the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY, a town that's a little over an hour outside NYC. There is an Aimee Mann fanclub presale for those tickets that also starts today (Friday, April 3rd) at 10am. Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday, April 14th at noon.

Aimee recently taped a set for PBS's "Live from the Artist Den" series, to broadcast sometime in April. She also helped out at WMFU's pledge drive in March, both answering phones and performing (videos below). In December, she played her annual holiday show at Nokia Theatre in Times Square.

All tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Aimee Mann tour dates (City Winery), presale, WFMU videos"

DOWNLOAD: Box Elders - Hole In My Head (MP3)

Paul F Tompkins @ the Bell House (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Matt Singer @ Union Hall
* Kevin Seconds @ Pianos
* the Benson Interruption @ UCB
* Ecstatic Sunshine @ The Stone
* Bus Driver & Yak Ballz @ Southpaw
* Kevin Seconds @ Generation Records
* Paul F Tompkins guests @ Sound Fix
* Loudon Wainwright III @ Gramercy Theatre
* Medeski, Martin & Wood @ (le) Poisson Rouge
* Michael Ian Black guests @ Sleepwalk with Me
* White Rabbits, Holly Miranda & Ravens & Chimes @ Mercury Lounge
* The Sam Roberts Band & Mother Mother @ Bowery Ballroom

Kevin Seconds plays two NYC today, and one tomorrow.

Loudon's son Rufus just announced an upcoming appearance at Highline Ballroom.

Box Elders are playing SXSW. Their last NYC show was at Market Hotel. Grab an MP3 above.

Hercules and Love Affair played on a roof. Video below...

Video from last night's Fujiya & Miyagi show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

photos by Tim Griffin

You include actual examples from your own life growing up. How did you decide how much to divulge of your own background? "One of the things I liked about the book is that it's partially truth and partially a lie and it's not revealed except what you could believe reasonably to be true," he said. "I like the format of the book...I think that it's good to have real stories and things, and then also good to make lots of stuff up. It sounds like I will enjoy my book." [the comic's comic]

Continue reading " Eugene Mirman's book party (David Cross, Hodgman, Schaal, Tompkins & Mr Brownstone) @ the Bell House, NYC - pics "

David Cross @ Knitting Factory (more by Eric M Townsend)

upcoming guests @ Sleepwalk With Me

Jan 07 - Janeane Garofalo
Jan 14 - Jonathan Ames
Jan 21 - David Cross
Jan 28 - Andy Borowitz

Jan 08 - Janeane Garofalo, Paul F. Tompkins, David Cross, Kristen Schaal
Jan 27 - Best Week Ever, John Hodgeman, Paul F. Tompkins

Continue reading "David Cross, Janeane Garofalo & other comedians playing 92YTribeca & Sleepwalk With Me"

Eugene Mirman's new book The Will to Whatevs will be releaed on February 10, 2009. Coincedentally that is the same day he is having a party celebrating the release of the book at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Sarah Vowell is DJing, and John Oliver, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Paul F. Tompkins, and "more special guests" are also performing at the $15.00 show.

Also on Eugene's calendar: four headlining shows at Comix in January. Actually:

@ COMIX in NYC
Jan 02 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 02 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 03 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 09 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 09 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 03 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 16 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 16 (late) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (late) - Eugene Mirman

BUT/AND/ALSO, unlike Todd Barry and Paul F. Tompkins, Eugene Mirman will NOT be opening any of the Yo La Tengo shows this year. All of Eugene's dates below...

Continue reading "Eugene Mirman's new book, parties, special guests, Comix shows & other tour dates (but no Yo La Tengo)"

Aimee Mann's holiday show @ Nokia Theatre (more by Chris La Putt)

Aimee is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Shows past, present, and future to learn the true meaning of the Christmas show. Featuring Aimee Mann, Michael Penn, John Krasinski (The Office), Michael Cera (Superbad), John C. Reilly (Walk Hard), Grant Lee Phillips, and Paul F. Tompkins. Directed by Tim Heidecker (Adult Swim's "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!")

Continue reading "Aimee Mann's Christmas Carol (2008 video w/ Michael Cera, John C Reilly and more...) "

The above drawing is a segment of the songsheet Oneida passed out at Sunday night's show at Maxwell's in Hoboken (12/21). It was the first of eight Yo La Tengo Hanukkah parties at the NJ venue this year, and, as promised, the Brooklyn band (Oneida) opened the night. As also promised, comedian Paul F. Tompkins opened with a set of comedy. AND, I'm feeling really good right now because two (sort of) of my guest guesses also came true last night. Both Britt Daniel and Janet Weiss (I guessed Britt and "Quasi") joined Yo La Tengo for some songs. To quote an email I got from Josh,

Oneida opened.
Then Paul F Tompkins.
Then YLT with Janet Weiss
For the encore - Paul F Tomkins joined the band and sang a Hannukah version of [Johnny Cash's] "Ring of Fire"
Then Britt Daniel joined and sang a few songs including "Mother and Child Reunion" [by Paul Simon]

The shows continue tonight (Monday, Hanukkah night two). We now know the openers for night eight, but who will open tonight? Will it be Titus Andronicus? Will it be Antietam? I'm not sure. Post your guesses and facts in the comments.

Download the whole Oneida songsheet (thx Josh) as a PDF HERE. Check out a Yo La Tengo video from last year's Hanukkah run, below...

Continue reading "It's Hanukkah Bitch! Britt Daniel & Janet Weiss joined Yo La Tengo, Oneida & Paul F Tompkins @ Maxwell's last night"

Paul F Tompkins @ Nokia Theatre (more by Chris La Putt)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Wu-Tang Clan @ Starland Ballroom
* Yo La Tengo & Oneida @ Maxwell's
* Biohazard & LOA @ Crazy Donkey (flyer below)
* Matisyahu & The Crystal Method @ Webster Hall
* Heavy Winged, Hell's Hills & Talibam! @ Union Pool

John Spence, a founding member of No Doubt, died today in 1987.

Paul F Tompkins is the comedians opening for Yo La Tengo tonight. Oneida is the band.

W-Tang Clan play Hammerstein Ballroom Tuesday.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday (Happy Hanukkah)"

Til Tuesday (Aimee Mann then)

Aimee Mann (now)

Twisted Sister

What do Aimee Mann and Twisted Sister have in common? They were both popular in the eighties (though maybe Twisted Sister are the only ones still living in it) and are still at it today, they both put out Christmas albums in 2006, they both played Christmas shows in 2007 (Aimee also played one in 2006), and they both are playing Christmas shows in 2008 - both of which are at Nokia Theatre in NYC in December. Twisted Sister plays two nights (tickets are on sale), and Aimee Mann plays one (she had two nights, but one was already cancelled) (tickets are also on sale).

In case the title confused you Aimee & Dee are not sharing the same bill (just the same BV post, again).

Twisted Sister is advertising two openers: ZO2 and The Dirty Pearls. Aimee Mann is saying that "This years special guests include: Nellie McKay, Grant-Lee Phillips, Morgan Murphy, Patton Oswalt and Paul F. Tompkins.", but her tour is eleven dates long and it's unclear who will be appearing at each show along the way, BUT Nokia Theatre IS listing all of those guests EXCEPT Patton. All tour dates and a whole bunch of related videos, below...

Continue reading "Aimee Mann & Twisted Sister - 2008 Christmas Tour Dates, Nellie McKay, Patton Oswalt, videos w/ Lita Ford & stuff"

DOWNLOAD: Neil Hamburger - At Least I Was Paid (MP3)

Well, what else do we need to say about this? "America's Funnyman" ("The World's Funnyman," actually) has decided to sing America's music at last! The country crooning of Neil Hamburger (though some would call it moaning) fits the white blues that is country music to a T! Neil's life story is perfect fodder for the "tear in the beer" genre as well - and Neil's original tunes, such as "At Least I Got Paid," "Three Piece Chicken Dinner" and "The Recycle Bin" bring his personality to the fore. His crack "Nashville West" band includes such luminaries as Dave Gleason, Atom Ellis, Prairie Prince, Rachel Haden and Joe Goldmark, all of whom play and sing their country-fried hearts out to create a sound that is decidedly old-school honky-tonk. All this plus cover versions of John Entwistle, Mark Eitzel and Billy Edd Wheeler add up to a powerful singing debut from America's newest hat act, Neil Hamburger!

I recently mentioned that Bob Odenkirk and David Cross would soon begin work on a pilot for HBO. Lo and behold, production of David's Situation begins May 9th, 2008 in sunny Los Angeles, with a live audience and everything. This show can't be completed and devoured by my eyes and ears soon enough. If anyone goes to the taping, tell me everything.

In related news, not only is Bob Odenkirk co-writer and director of David's Situation, but it turns out he'll also be playing Mike Birbiglia's older brother in Mike Birbiglia's CBS pilot Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, a pilot you can read about here.

much, much, much, much more below.....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (04/21/08)"

DOWNLOAD: Patton Oswalt - Dukes of Hazard (MP3) (info)

Tickets are on sale for The Dave Hill Explosion w/ John Hodgman & Jonathan Coulton @ UCB, Crash Test with Aziz Ansari @ UCB, and a special Tinkle show at Southpaw with David Cross, Todd Barry, and Jon Benjamin. Slovin and Allen and Reggie Watts are hosting ROFL at Joe's Pub. Patton Oswalt is playing a free show at Sound Fix.

Jon Benjamin paid a guy to serenade Eug and Bobby for the Invite Them Up anniversary. Oliver and Schaal look on from the back room. (April 25, 2007)

I am also beyond giddy to report that HBO Video will be releasing Louis CK's live 1 hour special Shameless on June 26th, 2007. That's a Tuesday people. Shameless is CK's third HBO special, and further reinforces my opinion that he is easily one of the best comedians out there. He takes nauseatingly banal topics such as family life, childhood, and sex and riffs about them in such an unexpectedly blunt and graphic manner that you can't help but be drawn in. To celebrate this release, we are giving away TWO copies of Shameless to two lucky winners. Send an e-mail to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM and tell us what comedian you think should really release a DVD ASAP. Two winners will be picked at random and notified.

More comedy (including a Louis CK DVD clip) belooooooow....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (06/19/07)"