by Klaus Kinski and Tig Notaro

Tig Notaro is a living super hero and I was so thrilled that she took the time to do a Top 10 for us. Even though Tig was previously an LA-based comedian, over the years we here at BV have admired her and always did what we could to trumpet her greatness to you, the loyal BV reader. We even managed to get her onto a BV-SxSW show back in 2010.

More recently, perhaps you caught her at The Dave Hill Explosion at the UCB Theater back on November 29, 2012? Or perhaps you caught her at the Bell House on November 17, 2012 when she brought her live podcast Professor Blastoff to a live, sold out audience? If anything, I sincerely hope you ponied up and bought her Louis CK-released live album which is absolutely brilliant, heart-wrenching, and totally inspiring. Oh, but just a heads up; Tig Notaro: Live is no longer available on Louis CK's website! Now you gotta procure that shizz on iTunes, brah. Tig is spending a lot more time in NYC these days, so keep your eyes on BV for whatever Tig news comes our way. In the meantime, enjoy her eclectic, not-necessarily-music-oriented Top 10 list, below.

Continue reading "Tig Notaro's Top 10 of 2012"

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).

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.

Tickets are on sale now.

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!

As anyone could have guessed, comedic genius Louis CK's appearance on Saturday Night Live on Saturday night (11/3) was a success. If you missed it, make sure and check out some clips from the show below.

As you may have heard, Louis CK recently released a live set by Tig Notaro, and we're happy to report that you can catch Tig live in Brooklyn soon. Catch a live taping of her weekly podcast Professor Blastoff on November 17th at the Bell House in Brooklyn. The rare live taping promises "special guests" in addition to Notaro's co-hosts/regulars Kyle Dunnigan and David Huntsberger, and tickets are still available (though reportedly selling fast). The agoraphobic can catch up with previous episodes via the interweb.

Swing below for some great SNL videos..

Continue reading "Louis CK killed it on SNL; Tig Notaro hosting a live version of Professor Blastoff in Brooklyn"

by Klaus Kinski

Tig Notaro @ BV-SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Tig with her good friend Dave Hill

There's that well-worn saying that "bad things happen to good people" and I've always hated that saying because good things happen to good people too... and good things happen to bad people... and bad things happen to bad people. Basically, shit happens! To anyone! Anywhere! But sometimes the news of something bad happening to someone I adore and respect is so profoundly terrible that the cliche "bad things happen to good people" slams through the doorway of my brain, opens its trenchcoat and says "Ta da!"

A while back the blogosphere, or blognation, or blogtation, or blogtinent, or whatever you call it exploded with the story that during an August 3rd performance at Largo in LA, Tig Notaro made a public announcement that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts just one day prior to said performance. What followed was a performance that had the audience (which included folks like Louis CK and Ed Helms) riveted. But the tragic news of cancer wasn't the only thing that had befallen Tig in the 4 months leading up to that performance; her mother passed away unexpectedly, she ended a long-term relationship with her partner, she battled pneumonia, and while beginning work filming the feature In a World, she contracted a deadly bacterial infection in her digestive tract, causing her to lose 20 pounds and be hospitalized for a week. How anyone could muster the strength to endure such an array of tragedy in such a short time is beyond me. But Tig... she not only had the strength, but she shows no signs of being defeated by it.

As I mentioned, the great Louis CK was in attendance at the show and he had the foresight to ask Largo owner Mark Flanagan if he happened to record her set. Luckily, it was recorded and on Friday October 5th 2012, Louis released Tig's performance in its entirety as her sophomore album, entitled LIVE (as in, continue to live) exclusively from his website. This audio recording is only $5; from each purchase, Louis gets $1 and Tig gets $4. Tig is donating some of the proceeds to cancer research to boot. If you have never heard Tig, you've been missing out. She is the greatest. At her CD release show at the Knitting Factory on August 20th 2011 I literally did a spit-take which was very unfortunate for the people sitting around me (that is one of only two spit-takes I've ever done; the other occurred the other day while watching the Inbetweeners discussing Sleeping Beauty). Read Louis CK's entire message regarding this recording below.

In other Tig news, she is continuing to dominate the shit out of life. On September 20, 2012 she appeared on Conan (watch that interview below), and has been profiled in The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Fast Company, and the Huffington Post with other profiles being scheduled as we speak with Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Dr. Oz, and more. Tig also just closed a book deal with a top publishing house, Ecco, an imprint of Harper Collins, after a competitive 6-way bidding war. She had some fall tour dates scheduled, but they all appear to be canceled.

From what I've heard, the cancer treatments she has undergone appear to be working and her prognosis is looking positive. All of us at BV wish Tig the very best.

Continue reading "Louis CK releases live Tig Notaro performance, the one where she revealed she has cancer (buy it now!)"

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)"

DOWNLOAD: Tig Notaro - "Little Titties" (MP3)

Tig Notaro at Bonnaroo 2011 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Funny comedian Tig Notaro, who you've read about many times on BrooklynVegan, released her debut album, Good One, on Secretly Canadian earlier this month (8/2). It was the Indiana label's first comedy release. You can download the track "Little Titties" from the album above and purchase the album in a number of different formats and bundles at the Tig Notaro webstore.

Tig kicked off a tour in support of the album with three nights at Bloomington, IN's Comedy Attic earlier this month. That tour continues through September and stops in NYC on Saturday (8/20) at The Knitting Factory. The venue lists the show as a seated show with limited capacity. Tickets are on sale now.

Tig also performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week. You can check out a video of that, with all dates, below.

Continue reading "comedian Tig Notaro released a CD, is on tour (MP3 & dates)"

photos by Dana (Distortion) Yavin & Graeme Flegenheimer

Henry Rollins (spoken word) / Bradford Cox (Deerhunter)

"Atlanta's own Deerhunter was the main draw on Thursday night, a low-key alternative to Friday's star-studded lineup. In fact, two people approached me during their set to ask who we were hearing. But no matter: The indie-rock prodigies went pleasantly cerebral on a crowd too tired to do more than sprawl on the grass and nod." [Creative Loafing]

Bonnaroo 2011 kicked off on Thursday and continues through Sunday in Tennessee. If you're not there, you can always stream some of it online in your air conditioned room while people at the fest are battling the heat on the ground. Speaking of which, the heat may be to blame for one untimely death at the festival, though the medical examiner hasn't reached a conclusion yet.

The rest of our pictures from day one (not counting Karen Elson which was posted separately), which are all by Dana unless otherwise noted, continue below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo Day 1 in pics (Deerhunter, Wavves, Henry Rollins, The Drums, Dam-Funk & more)"

"I'm in Austin TX! You know how I know that? Live music in the airport! #AndASignThatSaysAustin #SXSW" - Doug Benson

"Never realized how much I dislike music until hanging out in Austin, Texas during #sxsw" - Michael Ian Black

Tig Notaro at a BV party in 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Music is not the only thing will seem light in NYC next week, as many names in the comedy world are headed to Austin for SXSW as well. Scott Aukerman, Matt Bearden, Doug Benson, Michael Ian Black, Kurt Braunohler, Rob Cantrell, Chris Cubas, Joe Derosa, Chris Fairbanks, Dave Foley, Jena Friedman, Brett Gelman, Donald Glover, Chris Hardwick, Pete Holmes, Anthony Jeselnik, Howard Kremer, Ben Kronberg, Tom Lennon, Darryl Lenox, Al Madrigal, Marc Maron, Doug Mellard, Eugene Mirman, Kumail Nanjiani, Tig Notaro, John Oliver, Chelsea Peretti, Kevin Pollak, Amy Schumer, Brody Stevens, Bryson Turner, Brendon Walsh, Glenn Wool, and Hampton Yountare are among those that SXSW lists as officially being there. Esther's Follie's is the venue where much of it goes down.

Tig Notaro, who performed at a BrooklynVegan Austin event in 2010, returns this year with a few more items on her resume. Not only does she have a Sarah Silverman-produced "new comedy variety show for the Logo Network" to promote, but she has reportedly joined the Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans family whose official showcase she'll be MCing. She's also on the lineup of Sasquatch this year, and recently shared a bill with Jens Lekman in LA.

Brody Stevens & Zach Galifianakis

You might know LA's Brody Stevens from Due Date or The Hangover (and the Hangover 2 when it comes out). You may have seen him hanging out with his friend and co-star Zach Galifianakis, possibly on a scooter, or maybe in the audience of Saturday Night Live last night. Maybe you follow him on Twitter (like @BVComedy does) (follow @BVcomedy too!).

Brody and Tig (and Mirman and others) perform at Esther's Follie's on Friday, March 18th at 9:30pm, and I'm excited to announce that Brody will also host and tell jokes at the BrooklynVegan Day Party at Barbarella from noon-6pm on Thursday, March 17th! Full lineup TBA momentarily!

Workaholics

Comedy Central will also have a presence down at SXSW, most notably with the cast of their new TV show Workaholics which premieres on the station on April 6th. To quote their press release:

"Graduating from college and entering the real world isn't easy, especially for three unmotivated roommates. The new Comedy Central comedy Workaholics is a look at post graduates as they hilariously cope with working in the real world. Think Office Space if it were a stoner comedy.

Starring Mail Order Comedy's Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Adam DeVine, and with former Scrubs executive producer Kevin Etten at the helm, Workaholics is a scripted series that follows three friends fresh out of college who live and work together as telemarketers. Dress codes, deadlines, and waking up before noon isn't something these guys are used to.

They spend their days scheming together to avoid doing any real work and their nights looking for good times."

Good times will be had (despite it being during the day) when Blake, Anders and Adam all host the BrooklynVegan Day Party at Barbarella from noon-6pm on Saturday, March 19th. Full lineup of bands TBA momentarily!

You can also catch the Workaholics guys at Esther's Follies from 4-6pm on 3/17, and at Vice's Closing Night Pre-Party @ Starr Building on 3/9 from 10:30pm-12am. Check out some Workaholics previews, and Brody Stevens videos, below...

Continue reading "comedy @ SXSW (Workaholics, Tig Notaro & Brody Stevens)"

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"

words by Ian Cohen, photos by Graeme Flagenheimer & Sonny Gerasimowicz

Jens Lekman debuted a new song, at his performance in Los Angeles on Saturday (12/4), inspired by a failed attempt to stalk Kirsten Dunst while she spent time in Sweden. It's pretty familiar subject matter for Jens- romantic awkwardness, celebrities that feel weirdly attainable, etc. But his surroundings that night gave it a weird irony: there was a decent chance he might actually have run into her after the show.

The main talking point among the crowd ( which was reaching fire hazard capacity) was that Lekman was playing an intimate, mostly solo show around the pool at Skybar at Mondrian - for those who've never been, just think of the kind of bar you conjure when you're coming up with reasons you'd never move to L.A. I've gotten parking tickets that cost less than what the valet charges, and pretty much anyone watching Jens that night would've been the most shabbily dressed person in the rest of the hotel, if they were even allowed in.

Nonetheless, there was an acknowledgement of the revenge of the nerds thing going on throughout. As Lekman has done in the past, he had deadpan comedienne Tig Notaro open up and her first remark was indicative of both her sense of humor and the situation: "This is where we all go to meet our friends on a Saturday night, right?" But Lekman was game, cracking wise over the din of loudly mixed, wallet-emptying cocktails and decked-out social climbers in the next space over, and turning in something of an acoustic Greatest Hits package with three unreleased songs (it was a relief to find out that Jens is in fact planning on following up 2007's Night Over Kortedala).

"Black Cab" and "Maple Leaves" were undoubtedly suited for the spare treatment, but the formerly sample-heavy Kortedala inclusions stressed the complexity of Lekman's chording (in particular, "Sipping On The Sweet Nectar" and Kanske Är Jag Kär I Dig"). Once Lekman brought out DJ Victor Sjöberg for a two-song encore, it presumably fit the usual requirements that Skybar have a laptop DJ at some point in the evening. But like our hero during his airplane dance and tambourine shaking as for one night, it was the kind of dance party that there was an almost conspiratorial vibe to take comfort in.

The Bird & the Bee play the the next Mondrian Session at the same hotel on December 10th. Jens plays sold out shows in Brooklyn on December 9th and 10th. Jens's full LA setlist with more pictures and videos from the show, below...

Continue reading "Jens Lekman played the Mondrian Hotel in LA w/ Tig Notaro (pics, video & setlist)"

by Klaus Kinski

DOWNLOAD: 30 Rock - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah (RAC Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 30 Rock - "Lemon's Theme" featuring Christopher Cross (MP3)

Mirman, Kitson, Gaffigan & friends @ the Bell House (more by David Andrako)

People like Patton Oswalt, Todd Barry, Kumail Nanjiani and Joe Mande are part of a personal roster of active comedians who keep my zeal for classic stand-up alive. I like the short trip from set-up to punchline and the volume of material that can be crammed into a set, whether it be 10 minutes or an hour. But as a 33 year old with the soul of a 65 year old, I have found myself gravitating towards the art of the monologue lately. And I don't mean the banal current events-based late-night talk show opening garbage. I am talking about long-form storytelling with a central theme that has many diversions and hilarious detours throughout the journey. Mike Birbiglia, a longtime favorite of mine, has evolved from a pretty standard (and prodigal) stand-up comic to an expert monologist. His epic one man show Sleepwalk With Me was my first taste of his stunning evolution. Then a few weeks ago I watched him workshop a new one man show called My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (an unfortunate title as Alyssa Milano recently starred in a movie of the same name. It probably sucked). I also just read his wonderful new book Sleepwalk with Me: and Other Painfully True Stories. He's my generation's Spalding Gray, and, man, we definitely need that.

My favorite living story teller in the entire universe, though, is Daniel Kitson. He's British. Americans are simply not afforded enough opportunities to bask in this man's genius, and that sucks. But it makes sense. He lives in Britain. Not America. When he does get here (for The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, for example), he sells rooms right the funk out. Good for him, bad for us because a sell out surely means some people aren't witnessing the force that is Daniel Kitson. Luckily for us, St. Ann's Warehouse is hosting a whopping 22 show run of Daniel's tale The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church from January 6th to January 30th. From St. Ann's website:

The show to see at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, British Stand up comedian and storyteller, Daniel Kitson, brings the story of Gregory Church to St. Ann's Warehouse for its American Premiere.

Gregory had fifty seven letters to write. He'd never written that many letters, not in one go. In fact, he'd never written a single letter and it was taking significantly longer than he'd anticipated. He'd started, full of optimism, curiously enough, at 9 am and now here he was 8 hours later half way through letter twenty four. He glanced at his watch and then at the noose hanging over his head.

Gregory sighed.

Had he known how long suicide letters take, he thought, he wouldn't have cancelled the milk for the morning.

A story of a death postponed by life.

To give you a better picture, you can read some reviews here and here. If you've never seen Kitson, this is your chance to see him in his purest form.

And, hey, since you have your wallet out, why not buy a ticket or two to 1 of 7 Jim Gaffigan shows happening at the Best Buy Theater. I don't know how many shows he had scheduled there initially, but it definitely wasn't 7. To be honest I have never paid more than $5 to see Jim Gaffigan. As a matter of fact, I've never headed out to a comedy show with the intention of seeing Jim Gaffigan. Jim Gaffigan just likes to test his material out in tiny rooms all over the city, unannounced. So if you can't swing these shows, go to one of the many small but incredible shows around the city. You never know.

Speaking of the Best Buy Theater, did you get your tickets to one of Tim and Eric's two appearances at the Best Buy Theater on November 27th? Some people will probably be lame and still be their families for Thanksgiving that weekend. For those of us who aren't, the night belongs to us.

Klaus Kinski favorite Tig Notaro is working on something that I am not at liberty to mention and she needs your help. She and her comedian friends are coming to your town! If you'd be interested in hosting a live comedy show at your house (like a BV loft party), please post a video submission on her Facebook page telling her why it should be you, where you live and how you would present the show. "From stage, lighting, promotions, audience, to where in your home you will hold the show, it's all up to you." Tig is so f-ing great and I hope you people submit! Submissions must be up by November 23rd!

Look, I am a busy man and would love to write about stuff all day and have you read it and leave hummus comments but I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. Four of them. So I leave you with this: on Tuesday November 16th, the official 30 Rock Soundtrack hit the shelves. At first I thought this seemed like sort of a lame thing for one to want to buy. But then I read the track listing and realized how many funny and amazing songs there have been on the show, especially Werewolf Bar Mitzvah and Lemon's Theme featuring Christopher Cross. Download both of those for free above. Stream the whole thing at MSN. Buy it this Saturday and get it signed by the cast who will be in attendance in a Manhattan store. Details with full tracklistling below...

Continue reading "Daniel Kitson playing 22 NYC shows, Jim Gaffigan adds a 7th, Tig Notaro will play in your house ++ the 30 Rock soundtrack "

photos by Tim Griffin

Lucero

"...The bands were running late at Club Deville, but I was pleased to hear Centromatic on the stage. They sounded like classic rock and when Steve Miller Band's "Rock'N Me" came on after their set, it was in the same vein, but Centromatic was above and beyond.

Lucero came on next and killed it. Nichols' voice is like sandpaper on gravel and it has a booze-soaked and sorry quality that makes it sound like the hard nights and heartbreaks that he sings about are real experiences. Lucero is one of the few bands that I've seen (Free Energy comes to mind as well) that broke through to fans. Quite a few folks were dancing, jumping, singing and generally rocking out during their set..." [Rock Candy]

...It was a perfectly rowdy ending to the BrooklynVegan/DailyMotion day party at Club DeVille on Friday, March 19th (one of our seven shows this year). The day's eclectic lineup ranged from country to electro to singer-songwriter to comedy. We also made a huge effort to feed people and give away free stuff this year. Those who stopped by the free show got free Ear Piece ear plugs, Magic Hat beer, Firefly Sweet Tea vodka (that lasted the entire 6+ hours), Gundlach Bundschu wine, Raw Rev bars, Nadamoo ice cream, Hail Merry "Grawnola", breakfast tacos and Daily Juice catering. Action For Animals was on hand with baked goods for sale that helped raise $800 for charity. Somebody (and every band and comedian) won some Original Penguin clothes. Members of Passion Pit (aka the Wet Bandits) played the music between bands. KEXP was filming video. All in all an amazing day.

Catch Lucero in NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg this Tuesday, March 30th with Glossary (tickets are still on sale). Centro-matic kicks off a house tour in Houston the same day.

You've already seen some of this Friday party HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Pictures, reviews and videos from it continue below...

Continue reading "Lucero, Centromatic, Nicole Atkins, Holly Miranda, Zola Jesus, more @ Club DeVille (BV/DailyMotion day party) - pics & video"

photos by Tim Griffin, words by Klaus Kinski

Joe Mande @ Club DeVille

2007 ECNY Emerging Comic Award winning comedian Joe Mande is a major favorite of mine, and he's no stranger to the Brooklyn Vegan Live Event Planning Committee (not a real committee). Not only was he on the bill of the very first installment of our epic comedy / music show Rock n' RoFL, Joe (who also performed at the Stereogum party on Saturday) was also one of two comedians to perform to a chatty crowd at the BrooklynVegan / DailyMotion SxSW Day Party on Friday March 19th, 2010. Tig Notaro was the other comedian on our show, and another personal favorite (you may know her as officer Tig on the Sarah Silverman Program).

I didn't realize until very recently that Joe has been working on a book and that it is set to drop on Tuesday March 30, 2010. The book, entitled Look At This Fucking Hipster, began as a modest Tumblr blog but quickly ballooned into a heavily followed phenomenon.

Look at this Fucking Hipster (LATFH.com) was born in April 2009 as a way to help author Joe Mande help his dad answer the question, "Is that a hipster?" Months later, with millions of followers and dozens of parodies, it has become a cultural phenomenon, referenced in media, newspapers, blogs, and more.

Look at This Fucking Hipster is a collection of photos, snarky captions and short essays exploring--and, let's be honest, poking fun at--the wide world of hipster culture, from Williamsburg to Silver Lake and points between. Chapters cover types of hipsters, celebrity hipsters, hipsters through the ages, hipster love connections, and the next generation of hipsters (AKA hipster babies).

To celebrate the release of the book (which you can get at Amazon), the March 31, 2010 installment of Totally J/K with Joe and Noah at NYC's UCB Theater will be devoted to celebrating its release with guests including Reggie Watts, Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal (who you can also catch this Friday, 3/26 at Karma Lounge), BEEAAAANNSSS, and MANY MORE. And don't forget that the UCB theater is a dark, dank, subterranean venue that always has $2 hipster champagne (PBR). So grab your mom's glasses, your tightest jeans, your daddy's Red Wings (that may have actually seen some hard labor in their past), and your terrible cassette tape / bird / star tattoos and join the fun!

P.S. By BEEAAAANNSSS we assume they mean they got the actual Darren Mabee (a regular character on the latfh site) to make an appearance.

More pictures from our SXSW party, and a video of Joe interviewing Ben Gibbard at the Stereogum party (with Scott from Stereogum), below....

Continue reading "Joe Mande interviewed Ben Gibbard (video), played a BV day party w/ Tig Notaro (pics), releasing a book about 'hipsters'"

*Friday, March 19, 2010*
BrooklynVegan Free Day Party Presented by DailyMotion
@ Club DeVille - 900 Red River St, Austin, TX (NOON - 6 PM)
*free and open to the public, no RSVP necessary

Main stage:
12:00 Princeton
12:45 Twin Sister
01:30 Nicole Atkins
02:15 Sondre Lerche
03:00 Holly Miranda
03:45 The Antlers
04:30 Centro-matic
05:15 Lucero

DJs: Passion Pit

Inside stage:
12:30 - Active Child
01:15 - Pearly Gate Music
02:00 - Tig Notaro (comedian)
02:15 - Katie Stelmanis
03:00 - Joe Mande (comedian)
03:15 - Zola Jesus
04:00 - Abe Vigoda
04:45 - MNDR
05:30 - The Wave Pictures

FREE DRINKS COURTESY OF: Magic Hat & Firefly Vodka
(while supplies last)
FREE VEGAN BREAKFAST TACOS FROM: Izzoz Austin
(starting @ noon. while supplies last)
VEGAN BAKE SALE FOR CHARITY BY: VegAustin & Action for Animals
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Daily Juice (catering from 2-5)
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Raw Revolution Bars
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Hail Merry
FREE EAR PLUGS FROM: Ear Peace
+ more TBA

If you've been following along, both on this site and at our @bvSXSW Twitter account, you probably pieced most this lineup together already. And I'm extremely happy to report that this is the final BrooklynVegan party lineup we have left to announce this year. We'll see you on Wednesday at Emo's and Club DeVille, Thursday at Hoek's and Spider House, Saturday at Red 7 and Galaxy Room and on Friday right here at Club Deville from noon-6pm (on TWO stages) (the second stage is inside).

Thanks to DailyMotion for helping make this all possible. They're not only our presenting partner on this party, but we'll be uploading live footage from SXSW all week long to our account at their site. Some of that footage, including from this party will be shot by our official radio partner, KEXP.

Thanks to also to Original Penguin clothing for providing some clothes to giveaway to a few lucky attendees at the show.

Like at Emo's and Red 7, we'll have 10 kegs worth of Magic Hat beer to give out at this show, not to mention lots of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka to pour. And like at Emo's and Galaxy Room, we'll have free breakfast tacos and then late afternoon free catering by Daily Juice. All of our parties will be stocked with free Raw Revolution bars and Hail Merry Grawnola as well. And as if that's not enough, we're hosting a vegan bake sale for charity, courtesy of the fine folks at VegAustin.com and Action for Animals at this show. All money raised goes to Food for Life, an organization feeding Haitian and Chilean earthquake survivors.

Flyer design by Tammijean Triplett. Videos below...

Continue reading "a BrooklynVegan & DailyMotion Austin day party @ Club DeVille - full free lineup (Lucero, Antlers, Abe Vigoda, more) "