img via deneyterrio….that’s not me fyi
I went to the New York chapter of Mustaches for Kids last night at Ace Bar in LES. They’re a group that grows mustaches every year to raise money for local public school students. It’s like running a marathon where people pledge money, but in this case you’re running around your upper lip growing out mustache hair. Naturally, due to my impressionable nature I got excited the moment I learned all this, so I signed up on the spot. I shaved my face when I got home.
Throughout the next four weeks, I’ll be attending weekly mustache checkpoints at a handful of bars around the city, comparing mustache-growth with the other Growers. I’ll also be harassing my friends, family, and everyone else I know for money to help me meet my goal (it’s not set yet). I recommend you visit the NYC chapter page and see all the Growers and their respective charities on the leaderboard, and maybe think about donating a buck or two. I don’t have my personal page set up yet, but it’ll be set up here. I’ll try and chronicle the growth as well, so you can follow along with every millimeter of facial hair that sprouts out both on FREEwilly and at $ries. And hey – why not grow with me?! The more mustaches the merrier!

Cory Arcangel is one of the few media artists that can utilize humor and technology to provide an entertaining and intellectually rewarding experience. Tonight his third solo show opens at Team—another personal favorite. Definitely make sure to check it out!
Oh and if you are lucky enough to get in, Arcangel is holding a special performance at the New Museum. It is a critique of technology’s play on our attention spans.

If you made it out to any Todd P shows in the last year or so, you’ve most likely been asked if you would like a copy of Showpaper– a combination of music/arts listings, missed connections and some pretty interesting illustrations. I must admit that it’s been a huge resource for finding out about the better avant-garde/DIY shows in Brooklyn, and I’m a little addicted to reading the missed connections.
Anyway, today Showpaper is holding a benefit show at Danbro Studios Warehouse. I was lucky enough to speak with one of the organizers Joseph Ahearn to discuss Showpaper’s contribution to the Brooklyn arts scene and its future plans for expansion.
How was the Showpaper idea formulated? Could you give some background on yourself and everyone involved?
I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea of Showpaper. When I first began volunteering for Todd P, back in 2006, he was already talking about the idea, how silly it was that there were so many fractured different all ages communities throughout the tri-state area, and how there wasn’t one integral place in which all the shows could be found. How much he loved the newsprint format, and how it was too bad that the current scene the same ‘zine and self-publishing enthusiasm as previous music communities he’d been part of.
More after the jump.

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This Arianna Huffington impersonation is spot on. Hat tip Gawker.

The Sea and Cake

Death Vessel
The Music Hall of Williamsburg hosted three ultra-mellow groups on Tuesday, with tons of tenderness and appreciation in the air. Twi the Humble Feather were the first openers. If someone had dropped a pin, you could’ve heard it as the band took the stage in a compact row of dueling acoustic guitars. Their sound is as idiosyncratic as their name ‚Äì bizarre chirping, humming, and murmuring accompanied the trio of guitars as they sang about spaceships in the forest and other unintelligible topics.
Filling the next slot was Death Vessel a.k.a. singer-songwriter Joel Thibodeau, whose soprano vocals border on androgyny. He stood stoically in place for his entire set, and played a delicate set of lullaby-like songs, including ‚”Jitterakadie” and ‚”Obadiah in Oblivion.” Save for violin accompaniment on several songs, Thibodeau managed to delight the room all on his own.
They’ve been at it for quite a few years, but last night’s headliners The Sea and Cake still managed to make their fans swoon with their placid charm and expansive repertoire. On the heels of their new record Car Alarm‘s release last month, TS&C churned out a number of newer tunes, but plenty of fan favorites kept the audience cozy. The group’s comfort on stage and with their material proved a nice reminder: some indie bands can avoid the usual fizzle/burnout complex, and instead retain the elements that make them worthy in the first place ‚Äì even after a decade or longer.

Twi the Humble Feather

Death Vessel

The Sea and Cake
Photos c/o Mark Iantosca

If you’re free at 6:30pm tonight please go protest Proposition 8 tonight outside the New York Manhattan Mormon Temple at 125 Columbus Ave at 65th Street. For a bit more info, check out the organizer’s interview with Gothamist.
And in case you’re like, “but why are we protesting the Mormons?”, he has your answer:

“The anger is not towards Mormons, but rather towards the leaders of the Mormon Church, who purposely spread lies about gays and lesbians to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred.”

So. freaking. cool. This morning, “liberal pranksters” as they’re being called descended on New York to hand out a free future copy of the New York Times, dated July 4th 2009, full of headlines like “Iraq War Ends!”, “USA Patriot Act Repealed”, and “National Health Insurance Act Passes”. There’s also a website. We won’t say who they are because it’s more fun that way, but if you do a little research you can find for yourself.
For instance, Gawker totally ruined the party. Word is, once they posted the e-mail, the people behind the prank had to move the vans and effectively change plans. I spoke with a friend who helped hand out copies this morning, who heard another say “All they did was post the email that was sent out. Real impressive journalistic investigation there, guys.” Ha!
Here’s the story, from the Times itself:

In an elaborate hoax, pranksters distributed hundreds or possibly thousands of free copies of a spoof edition of The New York Times on Wednesday morning at busy subway stations around the city, including Grand Central Terminal, Washington and Union Squares, the 14th and 23rd Street stations along Eighth Avenue, and Pacific Street in Brooklyn, among others.
‚”I would say if you’ve got one, hold on to it,” Mr. Jones, a former Times reporter, said of the fake issue. ‚”It will probably be a collector’s item. I’m just glad someone thinks The New York Times print edition is worthy of an elaborate hoax. A Web spoof would have been infinitely easier. But creating a print newspaper and handing it out at subway stations? That takes a lot of effort.”

Get more at NYTimes; Gawker; and BuzzFeed.
Update: Gothamist has a video press release (woah! it IS the future!):

New York Times Special Edition Video News Release – Nov. 12, 2008 from H Schweppes on Vimeo.

photo via nicholasian
Our popular little waterfront spot, East River State Park, is closing up shop for the winter “as part of Gov. Paterson’s sweeping budget cuts”, reports the Post. You’ve still got a few months to enjoy, but once the gates close in January there will be no fishing for oysters until springtime. More at NBCnewyork.

No Age
No Age ♥’s Bklyn, and the feeling is mutual. It was demonstrably clear at The Market Hotel on Monday night, as they rollicked through favorite material and held up their reputation as a fantastic live act. The duo seem to fit something much larger and abstract into the rubric of punk music, and their dissonance and feedback suited the venue and rowdy fans well. Exuberant people crowd surfed, moshed (haven’t used that term in a while!) and even snatched the band’s beers off the stage – ultimately ending their night quite sweaty and satisfied.
The opening bands included Soft Circle and Titus Andronicus, who contrasted each other a great deal. Soft Circle’s Hisham Bharooch (ex- Black Dice) is a one man psych/math rock/multi-instrumentist band. Utilizing looped beats, guttural vocals, and maniacal percussion skills, it’s safe to say that he left the audience thoroughly impressed.
A bit less brilliant were Titus Andronicus, whose desultory appeal and constant crowd interaction (‚”Let’s have fun! We’re having fun! It’s a good time to be alive! Rock ‘n’ roll!”) didn’t have the proper effect on the crowd ‚Äì and there was plenty of heckling to go around as a result. The group schizophrenically oscillated from influence to influence, with each song sounding fundamentally different from the next. One minute they recalled an indie garage outfit, then the band would alternate to a classic punk feel, and yet the next moment the group would churn out a penchant for roots rock ‘n’ roll. Not the most intuitive or captivating performance of the night, especially when they closed with a maladroit cover of “Where Eagles Dare.”

Soft Circle

Titus Andronicus
Photos c/o Mark Iantosca