DOWNLOAD: William Basinski - Vivian & Ondine (excerpt) (MP3)

photos by Lori Baily, words by Andrew Frisicano

William Basinski @ 110 Livingston

Issue Project Room hosted reel-to-reel tape composer William Basinski at their new, currently being remodeled theater at 110 Livingston on June 11th. Basinski played two hypnotic sets in the former Elks Lodge, in what was only the second time they'd previewed the space.

The piece he played, Vivian & Ondine, was written, he explained, to coax his baby neice out of the womb. It's excerpted above and available on CD from Basinski's site. Joshua Light Show worked the visuals and bounced patterns around the ornate arches and ceiling. Clearly, the theater is an awesome space to hear vision-inducing loops, and will be a fun permanent home for Issue once they complete its renovation (which they're still in need of funds to finish) and move in permanently. More pictures from the night are below.

Issue has been putting on shows this summer in the courtyard of the Old American Can Factory (like Omar Souleyman for instance). The next of those is Bobb Trimble's Flying Spiders (in just his second NYC peformance), guitarist-led Loren Connors' Haunted House, Gary War and Samara Lubelski on July 11th. Tickets are still on sale.

They did an outdoor show in honor of Walt Whitman under the Brooklyn Bridge the other day, and on July 10th they'll go under the Queensboro Bridge for the first-annual Albert Ayler Festival, co-presented by jazz label ESP Live on Roosevelt Island's RiverWalk Commons. The show (and record fair) starts at 2pm and features The New Atlantis Sextet with Marshall Allen, William Hooker, Charles Gayle, Gunter Hampel, Giuseppi Logan and more. It's free, and the full schedule and poster is below...

Continue reading "Albert Ayler Festival coming to Roosevelt Island, William Basinski pics & other Issue Project Room news"

by Andrew Frisicano

Free show series Roosevelt Live will happen this summer on Roosevelt Island's Riverwalk Commons. The shows, scheduled for Saturdays at 4pm, will feature mostly local acts. Scheduled performers include piano-fronted band Wakey Wakey, indie-rockers Frances, Brooklyn country dude Alex Battles (of The Whiskey Rebellion) and local comedy/stunt troupe Improv Everywhere.

Improv Everywhere is the group responsible for the No Pants! subway rides. It most recently pulled off an April Fool's Day stunt where the group showed up en masse to a random, underattended funeral to make it "The Best Funeral Ever." It turns out the whole thing was staged, a fact the CW11 piece on the stunt failed to note (videos below).

Another recent-news tidbit from the Roosevelt Live performers, Frances frontman Paul Hogan scored indie-doc Must Read After My Death, which played at Manhattan's Quad Cinema in February and is now available for download at Gigantic Digital. Frances also plays the 92YTribeca on Saturday, April 4th with The Subjects and Glass Ghost. (Tickets for that show are on sale.)

Frances' Roosevelt Live performance takes place on June 20th, the same day that music blogger collective "After The Jump" is planning a festival on the same island. No more details on that one yet.

Full schedule (and flyer) with videos from the above-mentioned acts (plus a Coldplay tracked video of Roosevelt Island) below...

Continue reading "concerts on Roosevelt Island in 2009 - Improv Everywhere, Alex Battles, After the Jump, Frances & more "

photos by Ryan Muir

Duh. I forgot to mention that the Belaire show on Saturday at Market Hotel is being headlined by Vivian Girls (June 28, 2008). You'll also find them at Todd P's unamplified BBQ on Sunday. Their last NYC show was the infamous VICE party at Santos. More pictures from that and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Vivian Girls - Santos Party pics, Market Hotel Saturday, Roosevelt Island Sunday, other 2008 Tour Dates"

Roosevelt Island (Jake Dobkin)

Continue reading "Todd P's 2008 (SUMMER)TIME UNAMPLIFIED ACOUSTIC BBQ"

This past Sunday (June 17, 2007) was Todd P's Springtime Unamplified Acoustic BBQ on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Sandwich! was there and took pics - like this one of Aa...

Aa is playing again this weekend at The 2007 Mermaid Parade Ball which is the official after-party of the 25th annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, USA. Also playing the ball: Jill Cunniff of Luscious Jackson, The Shapes, Mighty Fine, The Atomic Grind Show, DJ Jess, DJ Xerox and a whole bunch of burlesque dancers. It's at the Childs Building (June 23).

Speaking of Luscious Jackson, Gabby Glasser is also pursuing her solo career. She has a new album ('Gimmes Splash') out next week, and is playing Union Hall in Brooklyn on June 28th. She's also offering the chance to hang out with her if that's your thing.

More Jill Cunniff tour dates & mermaid stuff below...

Continue reading "the Mermaid Parade, Luscious Jackson, Aa, Roosevelt Island"

Ditch your dad and head to Roosevelt Island this Sunday....

Continue reading "Todd P's Springtime acoustic BBQ on Father's Day"