Man Man
This Sunday from 2pm-8pm:
Man Man
Illinois
Dengue Fever
More info at mccarrenpark.com.
And from Going.com:
Going to the pool party next Sunday? Well RSVP here and enter for a chance to win two passes for the VIP section. Hob nob with the bands (maybe*) while you drink free booze and lounge out on couches in the shade. Oh yeah, there's free ice cream too - which comes in handy when it's 95 degrees.
Condom boots? [Thanks Kyle]
Warning.... you may end up wasting hours on this.
Brzezinski's obviously staged outrage is even more embarassing than the network's decision to lead with the Paris story. And does ANYONE ON THE PLANET really like frat boy king Sean Hannity Joe Scarborough.?
click for larger
Modest Mouse will be playing McCarren Park Pool on August 9 [via BrooklynVegan]
I have bad news for those hoping to see Modest Mouse & Clipse on August 8th. Better yet - I have bad news for those who didn't get tickets to see Beastie Boys at Summerstage because they thought they were seeing Modest Mouse with Band of Horses in Keyspan Park. The August 8th show has been postponed exactly one month, and moved: Modest Mouse is now playing McCarren Pool on September 8th. Love as Laughter are still opening, but Band of Horses and Clipse are up in the air.
And we're really excited to hear that M.I.A. will be coming to the Polish dance hall, Studio B, in Greenpoint on August 3rd.
The Washington Post devotes an entire blog to Darth Cheney's, uh, Dickiness. Here's our favorite highlight [via Wonkette]:
[Dan Quayle visiting Dick in 2001] “I said, ‘Dick, you know, you’re going to be doing a lot of this international traveling, you’re going to be doing all this political fundraising … you’ll be going to the funerals,’ ” Quayle said in an interview earlier this year. “I mean, this is what vice presidents do. I said, ‘We’ve all done it.’ “ Cheney “got that little smile,” Quayle said, and replied, “I have a different understanding with the president.”
You can check out the blog here. Related, The Colbert Report -- Cheney is the Fourth Branch.
A tragedy indeed: [from the AP]
A Japanese man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot dogs within minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain.Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.
In an entry on his blog entitled "Occupational hazard," Kobayashi said: "My jaw refused to fight any more."
The injury occurred only a week after the slender 29-year-old started training to win his seventh straight title at the annual July 4 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating event on New York's Coney Island.
"I feel ashamed that I couldn't notice the alarm bells set off by my own body," he said. "But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn't stop my training so close to the competition.
"I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw."
Kobayashi, who has become a niche celebrity in Japan and the United States, had already halted his competitive eating activities for several months due to mourning after his mother's death earlier this year.
But he said he still wanted to go to the competition in New York.
"I want to be the pride of my mother," he said in the blog entry posted Sunday.
Last year, Kobayashi put down a world-record 53 and three-quarters hot dogs in just 12 minutes.
In addition to the Nathan's Famous titles, he holds world records for scoffing cows' brains and rice balls.
In 2004, he founded the United Food Fighters Organisation in hopes of making people take competitive eating seriously as a sport. Despite Japanese people's reputation as moderate eaters, Kobayashi helped to turn competitive eating into a television sensation with "food fighters" downing everything from sushi to cakes. But Japanese television began to shy away from such contests after a 14-year-old junior high school student choked to death in 2002 trying to imitate competitive eating during school lunch.
This is the last year to see the Siren Festival at Coney island before the park's iconic seediness is displaced by a Vegas meets Disney theme park by developers. What better excuse to swing by than to see this year's Siren Fest? Here's the line-up thus far, including the just-announced M.I.A. (who hopefully will not be denied a visa this year).
M.I.A., CURSIVE, VOXTROT, WHITE RABBITS, WE ARE SCIENTISTS, MATT AND KIM, THE BLACK LIPS, DR. DOG, NOISETTES, LAVENDER DIAMOND, THE DETROIT COBRAS, ELVIS PERKINS, THE TWILIGHT SAD. The festival will be held July 21.
Superchunk
Sunday, from 3-8pm at McCarren Park Pool:
Superchunk
Oakley Hall
+ / -
DJ Todd O-Phonic Todd
From edpettersen.com
Former U.S. Attorney General JANET RENO appeared at the Grammy Awards in February with grammy-nomnated producer DAVID MACIAS to announce THE SONG OF AMERICA, a series of recordings that will tell the history of our country, from 1620 through the present, through music. Inspired by RENO and due out in 2006 on MACIAS’ own Emergent label, THE SONG OF AMERICA will feature fifty recordings of popular and historical songs by a variety of well-known artists. MACIAS joined RENO for the announcement of THE SONG OF AMERICA following his acceptance of the 2005 Best Traditional Folk Album for his co-production of Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster.RENO originally conceived of THE SONG OF AMERICA with her niece’s husband, songwriter/producer ED PETTERSEN as a way for Americans to reconnect to their musical and cultural heritage. RENO – the country’s first female Attorney General – saw the potential to bring history alive for students. RENO’s inspiration was to tell the story of America through its songs. Surprised to find that a comprehensive historical musical narrative did not exist as Reno envisioned it, PETTERSEN developed the concept as a compilation that would donate profits to folk music education which garnered RENO’s enthusiastic support. Last year, RENO and PETTERSEN selected Nashville’s Emergent Music as the label for the project and were delighted with their choice when Emergent’s Beautiful Dreamer took home the 2005 Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album. MACIAS will co-produce THE SONG OF AMERICA with PETTERSEN and Split Rock Records.
From Pitchfork:
due September 18 via Split Rock Records/31 Tigers-- now spans 50 songs and three discs. In addition to Banhart's cover of Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes", Song of America also includes Andrew Bird's take on early 20th century jam "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm" and Danielson's version of another early radio classic, "Happy Days Are Here Again".
Track list after the jump
Earl Bullhead - "Lakota Dream Song"
Julie Lee - "Once More Our God Vouchesafe To Shine"
Blind Boys of Alabama - "Let Us Break Bread Together"
John Wesley Harding - "God Save the King"
Elizabeth Foster - "Young Ladies in Town"
Malcolm Holcombe - "The Old Woman Taught Wisdom"
Ed Pettersen - "The Liberty Song"
Harper Simon - "Yankee Doodle"
The Wilders - "Jefferson & Liberty"
Steven Kowalczyk-Santoro - "Hail Columbia"
Take 6 - "Star Spangled Banner"
Beth Nielsen Chapman - "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"
Freedy Johnston - "Peg and Awl"
BR549 - "Sweet Betsy From Pike"
Will Hill and Jehnean Day Washington - "Trail of Tears"
Minton Sparks and Pat Flynn - "Declaration of Sentiments"
Fisk Jubilee Singers - "Go Down Moses"
Mavericks [ft. Thad Cockrell] - "Dixie's Land"
Marah - "John Brown's Body"
Joanna Smith - "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Janis Ian - "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye"
Tim O'Brien - "Thousands Are Sailing to Amerikay"
Otis Gibbs - "The Farmer Is the Man"
Joni Harms - "Home on the Range"
Jake Shimabukuro - "Stars & Stripes Forever"
Jen Chapin - "Over There"
Andrew Bird - "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm"
Karen Parks - "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
Danielson - "Happy Days Are Here Again"
Andy Bey - "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"
Jim Lauderdale - "Seven Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat"
Old Crow Medicine Show - "Deportee"
Suzy Bogguss - "Rosie the Riveter"
Folk Family Robinson (Black Crowes with Stan Robinson) - "Reuben James"
Elizabeth Cook and the Grascals - "The Great Atomic Power"
Devendra Banhart - "Little Boxes"
The Del McCoury Band - "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
Kim Richey - "Get Together"
The Dynamites / Charles Walker - "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud"
Ben Taylor - "Ohio"
Anthony David - "What's Going On"
Martha Wainwright - "I Am Woman"
Matthew Ryan - "Youngstown"
Bettye LaVette - "Streets of Philadelphia"
Gary Heffern / Chris Eckman - "Wave"
Shortee - "The Message"
Judith Edelman / Neilson Hubbard - "Sleep, My Child (Schlof Mayn Kind)"
The Wrights - "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning"
John Mellencamp - "This Land Is Your Land"
We'll be posting more information about Music Hall of Williamsburg (formerly Northsix) here as it arrives. From their press release:
The Bowery Presents, an independent New York concert-promotion company, today announced the Music Hall of Williamsburg will open on September 4th with Patti Smith and Her Band. The Music Hall of Williamsburg will occupy the former space of Northsix, on 66 North 6th Street, and will provide a first-rate, mid-size venue for bands to play in Brooklyn...."To have Patti and her band, who have become so much a part of our lives, open the Music Hall, for me, is the perfect beginning to our life in Brooklyn," said Michael Swier, a partner in The Bowery Presents.
"We've been fortunate to have a lot of support for the Bowery Ballroom and the Mercury Lounge over the years, and we hope that with our continued dedication to the music and the fans, the Music Hall will become a well-loved neighborhood music destination."The 550-capacity Music Hall of Williamsburg will be the first Brooklyn music venue to be managed and operated by The Bowery Presents, which has promoted shows in Brooklyn since 2006 and will promote a line-up of shows at McCarren Park Pool and Keyspan Park at Coney Island this summer. Inspired by the look and feel of the Bowery Ballroom, and committed to providing the best experience possible for bands and fans, the Music Hall of Williamsburg will have a focus on acoustics, sightlines and space.
The re-designed layout of the Music Hall of Williamsburg will be three levels, including a lower level lounge, where guests can congregate around the U-shaped bar, one of three bars in the facility. The ground floor lobby leads into the Music Hall performance space, which will feature 28' ceilings, side balconies and a back mezzanine. The venue will feature state-of-the-art sound, lighting, broadcasting and recording systems, which will also have the capability to be used for Internet, TV and radio broadcasts...
Tickets for the opening night Patti Smith show will go on sale Saturday, June 23 at Noon, for $35 each. Additional shows will be announced on July 10. Please visit www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com for schedule updates.
From The Vulture
This unofficial trailer, leaked to YouTube, could be the grimmest advertisement in film history... Sure, the original Sinclair Lewis novel Oil was bleak, but this nightmare glimpse of P.T. Anderson's new tragedy is practically apocalyptic, with Daniel Day Lewis, as an evil Texas oilman, intoning a misanthropic monologue, while miserable oil-well workers either stare blankly or run away from explosions, looking like they stepped out of American Gothic and into Deliverance. It certainly breaks through the white noise -- but is selling this as a more morbid Matewan really the best idea? Expect a ray of hope in the official version.
The dark, yet exuberant Americana of North Carolina's Bowerbirds has become a staple on my iPod. Mr. Mountain Goat himself, John Darnielle, calls thems “My favorite new band in forever.” Bowerbirds' wonderful debut record, Hymns for a Dark Horse, is set to be released July 10 (with preorders available now). Here's a sample:
Download:
In our Talons
Dark Horse
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bowerbirds
Hymns for a Dark Horse is the first album from Raleigh, N.C., trio Bowerbirds. Indicative of the music they make, Bowerbirds were born of unequal parts conflict and sweetness.Phil Moore and Mark Paulson had moved east from Iowa to form a band, Ticonderoga. In Raleigh, Phil met Beth Tacular--a collected and published painter. Both were weary from the recent collapse of their long term relationships but saw something special in each other. Not long before Ticonderoga disinegrated on tour somewhere in Alabama, Phil and Beth moved in together.
While taking a summer job in the swamps of South Carolina, Phil and Beth painted pictures and wrote songs and sang them. They started Bowerbirds and asked Mark to join them whenever possible.
They've toured the country once in a minivan, playing small clubs and coffee shops and street corners and camping in forests and deserts beneath the stars. They live in an Airstream trailer in the woods, and they're ecstatic.
On Saturday and Sunday at McCarren Park Pool,
The Renegade Craft Fair.
And on Saturday, SummerStage has arrived:
Television
The Apples in Stereo
Dragons of Zynth
From 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Central Park SummerStage
We're very excited about Television, but the Apples in Stereo should be a blast too. Especially if they play our favorite pop tune of the year, thus far: "Energy":
This is funny
illustration: Tim Jessell
So can we go home now? [Via HuffPost]
Violence in Iraq, as measured by casualties among troops and civilians, has edged higher despite the U.S.-led security push in Baghdad, the Pentagon told Congress on Wednesday..."To date, operations in Baghdad indicate that Iraqi government delivery on these commitments has been uneven," the report said. "For example, there have been reports of political involvement by some leaders in tactical and operational decisions that bypass the standard chain of (military) command."
The report offered a less-than-optimistic outlook for political reconciliation among the rival sectarian groups in Iraq. It said Shiite fear of a Sunni return to power and splits within the Shiite community "will continue to impede formation of a 'Shiite consensus' and complicate reconciliation with the Sunnis."
This will be the Beastie's FIRST Brooklyn show, EVER. More information at McCarrenpark.com. UPDATE: Presale tickets available Friday.
They will also be playing Summer Stage August 8.
The band's new record, The Mix-Up, will be released on June 26. From Wikipedia:
The Mix-Up is the forthcoming album by Beastie Boys, scheduled for release on June 26, 2007. On May 1, 2007, an e-mail sent to those on the Beastie Boys' mailing list revealed the album is all instrumental.“OK, here's our blurb about our new album -- it spits hot fire! -- hot shit! it's official... it's named THE MIX-UP. g'wan. all instrumental record. "see i knew they were gonna do that!" that's a quote from you. check the track listing and cover below. you love us. don't you?"”
Mike D said that "even though The Mix-Up is a "post-punk instrumental" album, the Beasties have no plans to ditch vocals for good. In fact, they are currently planning another version of the album that will feature collaborations with "a pretty wide array" of "mostly newer" vocalists.
An advance copy of the album leaked onto the internet on June 01, 2007.
Their new single:
"Off the Grid" MP3
Off the Grid Video:
From the AP
The three Republican presidential candidates who indicated last month that they do not believe in evolution may have been taking a safe stance on the issue when it comes to appealing to GOP voters.A Gallup poll released Monday said that while the country is about evenly split over whether the theory of evolution is true, Republicans disbelieve it by more than 2-to-1.
Republicans saying they don't believe in evolution outnumbered those who do by 68 percent to 30 percent in the survey. Democrats believe in evolution by 57 percent to 40 percent, as do independents by a 61 percent to 37 percent margin.
The poll also said that those who go to church often are far likelier to reject evolution than those who do not. Republicans are likelier than Democrats or independents to attend church services, according to Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.
At the GOP's first presidential debate last month, the 10 candidates were asked which of them did not believe in evolution. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo raised their hands.
The Gallup survey, conducted May 21 to 24, involved telephone interviews with 1,007 adults. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Help make a difference this Wednesday, June 13th :
Community Board #1, The Open Space Alliance (OSA), and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation invite you to an open public design and planning session for McCarren Park Pool improvements:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007
5:00 PM & 7:00 PM (two sessions)
SWINGING 60'S SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER
211 AINSLIE STREET
(Corner of Manhattan Avenue)
Rather than simply responding to a Parks Dept proposal, we invite you to participate in creating the design.
The Parks Dept. will give a summary of the schedule for the project, and discuss budget considerations. Audience participants will break into small groups, with each table hosted by two facilitators, an independent design professional and a representative from the Parks design department, to help sketch and document the ideas of the participants. Each table will have a large scale plan of the pool area, templates of an Olympic size pool, a multi-purpose building, tracing paper, markers, etc.
The charge for the evening will simply be that the designs must:
1) Provide swimming
2) Provide year-round use
3) Preserve and reuse the existing buildings
Other than that, everyone is free to dream (within budget constraints). The recommendations will be synthesized by the project architects and presented at a follow-up community meeting.
We look forward to your ideas on improving McCarren Park Pool for future generations.
It's not availablle until June 15, but you can stream Icky Thump in its entirety at MTV's The Leak.
People seem to love the record. We want one of these USB drives:
Icky Thump is available in a new format: Jack and Meg USB drives. Custom created for The White Stripes, each 512-megabyte drive contains a copy of their new album in the Apple Lossless Format. There were only 3,333 of each drive created.
They'll be at McCarren Park Pool August 29. Sounds like it won't be a traditional Broken Social Scene show: [via Brooklyn Vegan]
On September 18th Arts&Crafts will release, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS KEVIN DREW, "SPIRIT IF..."Kevin Drew's "Spirit If..." was recorded over the last two years at Ohad Benchetrits house in between social scene tours and day-to-day life.It was produced by Ohad Benchetrit, Kevin Drew, and Charles Spearin.
This is the first in the BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS series. Brendan Canning and company are currently recording the second in Toronto. It will be released early next year.
Drew and Canning, the two co-founders of Broken Social Scene decided to approach making records as solo projects. In the process the social scene community took part and played key supporting roles, thus giving birth to this series.
Along with the BSS crew, Drew has invited many other guests to perform on "Spirit If...".
The record unfolds like aemotional comic book. It's Drew's song-writing and all his favourite topics are addressed: fucking, fighting, fearing and hope. FFFH.
This fall Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, along with new members will commence the "BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PERFORMS" touring series.They will tour select songs from this album and a others from this series.
Tickets go on sale Friday. We have the full McCarren Park Pool schedule posted at mccarrenpark.com. Information about this show can be found here.
"Bring It On" will kick off the McCarren Park film series
The Summer Screen free film series at McCarren Park Pool has just been announced as well. We've posted the full calender at mccarrenpark.com/film
For those of you who miss Arrested Development, here's George-Michael Bluth's (aka Michael Cera) new project:
You can see the full episodes here. The trailer for Superbad (starring Cera) looks hilarious too, even though McSweeney's scribe Ben Greenman is pissed.
From BlueGrassRoots
This Saturday, I made my much anticipated field trip to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum, a $27 million monstrosity devoted to religious fanaticism, disguised as “science”.Two of my heretical friends and I ventured an hour north up I-75 from Lexington, just short of Cincinnati, to discover a museum full of shocking idiocy and unintentional humor.
Early in the museum, the visitor is given advice on the proper mind frame to have for your visit: “Don’t think, just listen and believe”. KEEP READING
Related: Creation Museum Hired "Sirfuxalot" Model To Play Adam
We were reading through some of the comments about the Sopranos finale on Gawker, and commenter b4nt4 summed up our opinions to a tee:
"Paulie Walnuts and the cat should get their own 30 minute comedy spin-off."
If we get that, who needs a resolution?
We've got bad news for fans of Southern food eatery Union Picnic. From a reader, "Was walking my dog this morning and saw three of those now familiar DOH signs posted in the window of Union Picnic in Williamsburg. Also, the Brick Oven Gallery on Havemeyer is STILL closed after about a month now. It's really sad, especially since they went through a major renovation and started to get really popular, offering a $40 meal that included two pizzas and a bottle of wine per couple. Their pizza pales in comparison to Fornino though and Bacci and Abracci is my new fave."
The series begins June 30 with:
DFA hosts with Invisible Conga People (live)
Tim & Tim (Tim Goldsworthy and Tim Sweeney)
The Juan Maclean (DJ Set)
Shit Robot aka Marcus Lambkin
plus BLARVUSTER (Matthew Welch)
You can view the whole schedule here.
Also, as BrooklynVegan reports, Lily Allen will be playing Warsaw on June 17. You can get tix here.
Yo Majesty's debut EP is already our soundtrack for the summer. These three ladies from Tampa are pumping some much-needed life into the tired hip-hop scene. With their lo-fi Peaches meets Miami bass meets 2 Live Crew sound, it's impossible to not shake your ass when "Club Action" is pumping through your speakers. If you haven't heard them, Stereogum has a few tracks.
We'll be checking out Yo Majesty at Greenpoint's Studio B Friday, June 22. The show is sponsored by our friends at MyOpenBar.com. You can buy advance tickets here. (This one is going to sell out quickly).
Be the tenth person to answer this question correctly and win 2 tickets to the performance
Which member of Yo Majesty recently smacked a man '"'til his eyes got watery" for licking her nipple onstage?
send responses to mail[@]freewilliamsburg.com with the subject line "Yo Majesty Ticket Giveaway."
Club Action
Yo Majesty interview by Beth Ditto (The Gossip)
Related: Williamsburg condo group launches the second most annoying ad campaign on Earth.
TimeOut has a pretty cool quiz posted here. [Thanks Kevin]
When Colonel Ted Westhusing killed himself two years ago, he was the highest ranking American officer to lose his life in Iraq. His suicide note, just revealed by the Editor & Publisher make his passing all the more tragic: [via cliffschecter.blogspot.com]
“I didn’t volunteer to support corrupt, money grubbing contractors, nor work for commanders only interested in themselves. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. I trust no Iraqi. I cannot live this way.(snip)"Trust is essential -- don’t know who trust anymore. Why serve when you cannot accomplish the mission, when you no longer believe in the cause, when your every effort and breath to succeed meets with lies, lack of support, and selfishness? No more. Reevaluate yourselves, cdrs [commanders]. You are not what you think you are and I know it."
It's shark attack season again so, appropriately, someone has set up a blog devoted to shark attacks (not to mention the world's deepest swimming pool). Be careful the next time you're wading the waters at Jones Beach; the site details the story of a woman who was recently attacked in 2 feet of water in South Carolina.
Warning.... if you're easily disturbed avoid going here. We can't decide if we're more upset by the image of the victim, or of the fact that "Send this image as eCard" is an option. [Thanks Carlos]
Somehow, we missed this when it was launched a few weeks ago: a free promotional compilation put out by Adult Swim featuring TV On The Radio, Broken Social Scene, Liars, Les Savy Fav, the Rapture, Fennesz, Asobi Seksu, The Good the Bad & the Queen, and many more. Download 'em all here. [Thanks Kevin]
Issue Project Room, which has been hosting some amazing shows at a former oil silo on the Gowanus Canal, is about to move to a new location. BrooklynVegan has the story:
SHARE celebrates ISSUE Project Room's final night in their current location -- the unique silo on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. To celebrate IPR's time in the silo and their move to a new space, SHARE will run a multimedia open-jam, inviting everyone and anyone to join, including those who have performed at, visited, or simply love IPR. It will utilize Stephan Moore's 16-Channel Hemispherical Speaker System and IPR's cylinder structure for visual projections both inside and outside the space. Please come to play, hang out, or participate in many toasts! [Issue Project Room]
Turns out, its just gonna get too smelly down there at Gowanus [insert dirty hipsters joke]. We'll deeply miss seeing shows at this amazing space.
Joseph Holsinger
From Pam'sHouse Blend
OMG. Bible Belt Blogger took a look at Surgeon General nominee Dr. James Holsinger's infamous 1991 anti-gay paper, "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality," (PDF) and it will be one swinging confirmation hearing when a Senator reads this passage aloud when inquiring about Holsinger's views on what he calls the dangers of "anal eroticism." This was prepared for the Committee to Study Homosexuality of the United Methodist Church:Gay sex, he warned, can lead to "lacerations, perforations and deaths...The anatomic and physiologic facts of alimentation and reproduction simply do not change based on any cultural setting. In fact, the logical complementarity of the human sexes has been so recognized in our culture that it has entered our vocabulary in the form of naming various pipe fittings either the male fitting or the female fitting depending upon which one interlocks within the other. When the complementarity of the sexes is breached, injuries and diseases may occur as noted above."
Related: Bush Nominee For Surgeon General Thinks He Can "Cure" Gays
They'll be serving it up Brooklyn style at McCarren Park Pool. From PonderosaStomp.com
The Ponderosa Stomp is an American roots music festival dedicated to recognizing the architects of rock-n-roll, blues, jazz, country, swamp pop, reggae and soul. Founded in New Orleans and produced by the non-profit Mystic Knights of the Mau Mau, a diverse group of music fanatics who have presented over 40 concerts with over 150 musical legends, the Stomp always succeeds in exposing rare musical icons to their adoring fans and to new audiences. The Stomp itself has now become legendary in reviving careers and giving a new lease on musical life to so many performers.
Performances by:
Roy Head
Bobby Patterson
Willy Tee
Tammi Lynn
Ray Sharpe
Tommy McClain
With house band:
Teenie Hodges, Scott Bomar, Willie Tee, Willy Hall
We have the full McCarren Park Pool schedule posted here.
Roy Head: "Treat Her Right"
Listen: The Ponderosa Stomp on NPR's All Things Considered.
If this video doesn't make you feel happy, you may need medical attention. Los Campesinos' single "You! Me! Dancing!":
Whenever we try to hate Bloomberg, he does something cool. Here's Bloomie sounding off on the overblown JFK plot. [via Gawker]
There are lots of threats to you in the world. There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't sit there and worry about everything. Get a life.You can watch the video here.
Aquarium Drunkard has been generous enough to make an entire compilation of soundboard recordings, known as The Perfect Echo, available for download. The first three installments are available here. They're essential listening for all you Neil young fans out there. Via Aquarium Drunkard.
This is a compilation of soundboard recordings from 1967-2001. The term soundboard is a bit of a misnomer. By soundboard I mean, basically, not an audience recording. Some are true soundboards, while others are FM, TV, ALD, or video-sourced recordings. The recordings were all taken from cdrs or videos that are circulating in the trading community. There are a total of 115 tracks (109 songs, as 6 get repeated). Some years were heavy with available recordings (1976 and 1989 come to mind). I tried to balance the set by not using too many songs from a single show. The entire 8 discs run in, roughly, chronological order.
We can't decide if this is really funny or really mean.
Parish Diner
Have you been? Let us know what you think:
A'Shay - Seafood, 229 South 4th Street
Le Barricou - French Bistro, 533 Grand Street
Santa Fe - Mexican/Southwestern, 366 Union Avenue
Parish Diner - American traditional/Comfort Food, 218 Richardson Street
LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy
The first person to answer our three James Murphy questions correctly, will win the following:
A limited edition Sound of Silver double LP1. What was the first concert James Murphy ever attended.
"All My Friends" 12" single
"North American Scum" 12" single
Limited Edition Silk Screen Poster
mail answers to mail [at] freewilliamsburg.com with the subject line LCD Soundsystem. [THANKS FOR ALL THE ENTRIES, WE HAVE A WINNER - answers after the jump]
All My Friends
1. Murphy's first concert was The Ramones
2. James did sound for Six Finger Satellite
3. False, James Lavelle (of U.N.K.L.E. fame) founded Mo' Wax.
XXXChange - 6pm
Danielson - 7pm
Animal Collective - 8pm
Hopefully the weather holds up. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Panda Bear will play a tune or two from his amazing new record. More info here
From beautifully skewed pop ballads to fiercely ruptured noise-squalls and tribal rhythmic work-outs to simple folk songs, Animal Collective - the eclectic group of artists, otherwise known as Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist and Deaken -- is sure to create one of the most thrilling nights of the season (paw-tracks.com).Hailing from suburban Clarksboro, New Jersey, it is difficult to separate Danielson from their gooey visuals (costumes and graphics) and the spirited music. The 2006 release of Ships, joined together a cadre of artist including Deerhoof, Sufjan Stevens, Why?, Serena Maneesh, Leopulde, and Half-handed Cloud among others (danielson.info).
Panda Bear: Bros
by Dave Thomas
Sicko
Now that we've made our way through The Big Three Part Threes, the B-list franchises get a shot.
June 1
MR. BROOKS
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kevin Costner gets his Lecter on.
WILL IT SUCK?
I'll give writer/director Bruce A. Evans the screenplays for Starman and Stand By Me and even, God help me, Kuffs (which he also directed), but since then we've got to talk about the scripts for Jungle 2 Jungle and Cutthroat Island. Still, early buzz is good. And isn't it time we got Dane Cook and William Hurt in a movie together? Keep an eye out for Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle on 24).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Will be lucky to come in third to Knocked Up and the second frame of Pirates. $36mil.
--------------------------------------
KNOCKED UP
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
The lighter side of unplanned parenthood.
WILL IT SUCK?
Probably the best movie I've seen this summer so far (granted it's early). More here.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The combination of Hostel II and Ocean's 13 the following weekend might present a bit of a challenge, but this should open well and taper off gently. $100mil.
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GRACIE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Before there was Mia Hamm, there was...Gracie!
WILL IT SUCK?
From the director of An Inconvenient Truth, so if the bulk of the film is Gracie giving a PowerPoint presentation on why women should be allowed to play soccer, this will fucking rock. Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Very competitive field. Their 17-city tour might help. But probably not. $5mil.
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DAY WATCH
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Fight for the Chalk of Fate. Seriously.
WILL IT SUCK?
Watch this trailer and tell me you don't want to see this movie. I was actually underwhelmed by Night Watch, but still wanted to see the sequel, even before I saw the trailer or the positive buzz.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Like its predecessor, this was a box office record-breaker in its native Russia. Like its predecessor, that probably won't help here. $2mil.
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RISE: BLOOD HUNTER
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
I Spit On Your Vampire Crypt
WILL IT SUCK?
Why the trailer says "from the writer of Gothika" instead of "from one of the writers of Snakes on a Plane" is beyond me. That having been said, early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If you're gonna be an indie vampire flick, don't open against Day Watch. $1mil.
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CRAZY LOVE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Would you marry the man who threw acid in your face?
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. This doc was co-directed by Fisher Stevens. How cool is that?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Should be pretty free of competition. $3mil.
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PIERREPOINT: THE LAST HANGMAN
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Story of the last hangman in Britain.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good, and if you want to see Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) whack 433 people, there's really no other way.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Does have the advantage of not being about vampires, but that might not be enough to make it stand out. $250,00.
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June 8
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SURF'S UP
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Again with the penguins
WILL IT SUCK?
I actually liked the last two penguin films I saw, so I'm not going to dismiss this one out of hand. And you could do worse than to combine the directors from Toy Story 2 and Tarzan. On the other hand, one of the writers did both Big Momma's Houses, so, there you go.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Nancy Drew could be a bit of a problem the following week, and penguins could be played out - but we thought that before Happy Feet, too. $74mil.
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OCEAN'S THIRTEEN
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Ocean's Twelve made how much now?
WILL IT SUCK?
Steven Soderbergh hasn't made a universally beloved film since Ocean's 11. That's not to say he's not still a great director. And I actually liked Ocean's 12. But I'm in the minority. The writers did Rounders and Runaway Jury, but also did the Walking Tall remake and Knockaround Guys, so it's kind of a wash. Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I'm anticipating Knocked Up will have a very strong second frame and Silver Surfer will take all comers the following week, but this should still open well. $126mil.
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HOSTEL PART II
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Hostel with women instead of men (including the lead from Welcome to the Dollhouse - man, life just does not get any easier for her).
WILL IT SUCK?
Eli Roth is writing and directing again, so I don't see this being much different from Hostel or Cabin Fever. I do feel it's a little different to have women be the victims in a torture-fest than men, but whether that's just sexist is one issue and whether it's handled well in the film is another. Bottom line: Hostel fans will probably be pleased.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A little bit of demo competition from Silver Surfer next week, but this has nothing to fear. $48mil.
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LA VIE EN ROSE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Edith Piaf biopic.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good, but almost all of that credits the lead, Marion Cotillard, over the movie itself.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Picturehouse has to give this a bigger push because there is nothing else like it on the horizon. $500,000.
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June 15
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FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
The Silver Sufer is awesome. Oh, and there are some other people in it, too.
WILL IT SUCK?
They've kept one of the writers from the first flick for some reason and added a Simpsons vet...who also wrote My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Tim "I was great for Barbershop, but not for Taxi or Fantastic Four" Story directs again. And yes, that's Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Evan Almighty is the littlest of issues next week, but other than that, remember how badly the first one should have done? This one won't do that bad, either. $171mil.
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NANCY DREW
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Before there was Veronica Mars, there was...oh, you get the picture.
WILL IT SUCK?
From the writer/director of Dick...and Threesome, The Craft and Bad Dreams.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Normally, I'd say this would appeal to the tween set, but there are no America Ferrara's or Hillary Duff's to fill the cast (I'm kind of glad they went with a relative unkown for the lead, actually) so, this will fall on the lower-grossing end of counter-Surfer programming. $24mil.
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FIDO
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Like Lassie, but with a zombie.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is outstanding. Part of a new zombies-as-a-part-of-society comedy trend that began with the end of Shaun of the Dead and is continuing with American Zombie and the Ed Helms spots on Funnyordie.com.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
More comedy horror the next week in Black Sheep, but I think this will have the edge. $5mil.
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DOA: DEAD OR ALIVE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Really hot Mortal Kombat.
WILL IT SUCK?
Oh my, yes. Even Jamie Pressley says it sucks, and she's the star. But, it's got Corey Yuen directing hot babes in fight sequences that even the critics seem to like. Destined to become a crap classic.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If they play up the crappiness a la Snakes on a Plane, they might do okay. $17mil.
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EAGLE VS. SHARK
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Quirky romcom from New Zealand.
WILL IT SUCK?
Very funny. Napoleon Dynamite comparisons are being made, somewhat fairly, but this really has its own thing going on. Read more.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Don't think this will cross over like Dynamite. $3mil.
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June 22
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1408
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
A bunch of Native Americans wait around 84 years for Christopher Columbus to show up. Or John Cusack checks into a haunted hotel room.
WILL IT SUCK?
Well, the writers are a mixed bunch, having scripted such fare as Ed Wood and Man on the Moon on one hand and Problem Child and Agent Cody Banks on the other. Director did the acclaimed Evil and the less-than-acclaimed-but-supposedly-better-than-you-might-think Derailed.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Opens the same week as Captivity, not that anyone will notice. $52mil.
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EVAN ALMIGHTY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Steve Carell builds an ark.
WILL IT SUCK?
Same writer and director as Bruce Almighty which, to be honest, I found to be surprisingly good. And Carell's been batting pretty well so far. Even Over the Hedge didn't suck (we don't talk about Sleepover).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is rumored to be the most expensive comedy ever made. I think it'll just barely make all its money back domestically, but international and DVD will more than compensate. $229mil.
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A MIGHTY HEART
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
The Daniel Pearl story.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is fantastic. I would, at first, be ready to label this as Movie-of-the-Week exploitation, but with Michael Winterbottom at the helm, I take pause. He don't mess. And he's made some of the most uncompromising visions of the middle east (and our involvement in it) of the past few years (In This World, Road to Guantanamo). Angelina Jolie doesn't usually sell me on a project, but early buzz on her performance brings up the O-word and I'm curious to see Capote scribe Dan Futterman take on the role of Daniel Pearl.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Might do better as a limited release. How many people are going to walk into a multiplex and conciously choose a tragic story about real-life terrorism over Steve Carell in a long-ass beard? $35mil.
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CAPTIVITY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Model and her chauffeur fall in love while being terrorized by a serial killer. Awww.
WILL IT SUCK?
Did you know that the guy who directed The Killing Fields also directed (uncredited) Super Mario Bros? Well, he directed this, too with a script co-written by Maniac Cop schlockmeister Larry Cohen. Early buzz has this as a lame Saw rip-off.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Note how the trailer tries to spin that whole ad fiasco into some sort of hardcore cred. Might work until people actually see the film and realize it's much ado about crap. $8mil.
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YOU KILL ME
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Ben Kingsley does the wacky hit man thing.
WILL IT SUCK?
From Last Seduction, Rounders, Joy Ride director John Dahl, who for some reason has been tapped to direct Punisher 2 (which, for some reason, is happening). From the writers of Narnia. In spite of a cheesy Whole Nine Yards-y trailer, could be good. Early buzz is encouraging.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Nobody knows this is coming out. $23mil.
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BLACK SHEEP
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Killer mutant sheep.
WILL IT SUCK?
Wants to be Shaun of the Dead, but really isn't.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Between this weekend and next you have two bigger indies and Fido might steal its comedy/horror thunder to boot. $1mil.
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BROKEN ENGLISH
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Sex and the Parker Posey
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, but no one seems particularly psyched about this film. Raves for Posey's perf, however.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Eagle vs. Shark is a bit of a big deal, and so is Sicko the next week. But, this has Parker Posey. $5mil.
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SEPTEMBER DAWN
(Delayed from May)
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Fictionalized account of the Mountain Meadows massacre.
WILL IT SUCK?
From the director of Gone Fishin' and The Next Karate Kid (and no, Young Guns does not make up for those). Those of you wondering what happened to Dean Cain, here you go.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
People are a little more curious about Mormons than, say, before the Presidential campaigns started, but this will still do better on DVD. $500,000.
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6/29
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RATATOUILLE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Rat tries to make good on the culinary circuit in Paris.
WILL IT SUCK?
This is Pixar, son. How many times do I have to tell you? Seven for seven! Plus, it's Brad Bird, writer/director of the greateset Pixar film of all time. Incidentally, I think this is the first Pixar (or maybe even Disney) film to have its own video podcasts.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Releasing in the middle of some heavy hitters. Die Hard 4 has a two day head start (which could help) and the next week, Transformers. But still, Pixar don't fuck around. You release against it at your peril. $195mil.
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LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
John McClaine vs. the Interwebs.
WILL IT SUCK?
What, besides the crappy title? Who watches Underworld and says, "I want THAT guy to direct my franchise comeback!"? Bruce Willis, that's who. And the guy who wrote Godsend wrote the screenplay. If it makes you feel any better, this may be the first film based on a Wired article. That was turned into a script called WW3.com ten years ago by the guy who later write Enemy of the State.
You've also got Justin Long (be awesome if the bad guys used PC's) and Kevin Smith in a cameo. Timothy Olyphant does the bad guy thing fairly well and I'm sure Death Proof cheerleader Mary Elizabeth Winstead will be easy on the eyes as McClaine's daughter (although if you think back to Lucy McClaine in the original Die Hard, that's just creepy). Great trailers, btw.
This is one of those movies that I really want to be good even though there's very little chance that will happen.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
You've got back-to-back blockbuster weekends after this, so this has to grab everything it can, while it can. $177mil.
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SICKO
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Michael Moore takes on health care.
WILL IT SUCK?
So far, the only real complaint is that he glamorizes the Canadian health care system too much, and that's coming from Canadians.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
When Fahrenheit 9/11 opened at number one in the summer of 2004, remember its only competition was White Chicks (and it was an election year). This weekend its gotta deal with Pixar and Bruce Willis. $25mil.
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DEATH AT A FUNERAL
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Guy goes to his father's funeral only to find out his dad isn't exactly who he thought he was. In a funny way. It's a comedy.
WILL IT SUCK?
I feel bad for Frank Oz. He goes on a promotional tour for this film he directed, and all anyone wants to talk about is Yoda. Early buzz is good, and Oz can do comedy when he feels like (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). Also nice to see Peter Dinklage and Alan Tudyk get some screen time.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If all this had to deal with was a comedy with stars in it the following weekend (License to Wed), that would be one thing, but it's in the middle of the blockbuster ocean and nobody even knows it's coming out. Better off as a limited release. $23mil.
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EVENING
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like The Notebook, but with a lot more women.
WILL IT SUCK?
Powerhouse cast here: Clare Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close (together for the first time since - I'll let that be a trivia question for you). Also, Meryl's daughter Mamie Gummer plays young Meryl in flashbacks. From the writer of The Hours which had, like, hardly any women at all, right?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Should do all right. No cast like this anywhere in indieville right now. $11mil.
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VITUS
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Coming-of-age story about a child prodigy pianist who wants to be a pilot.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. A chance to see the lighter side of Hitler (um, Downfall's Bruno Ganz).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Kind of crowded, but if it can keep up the good buzz, there's hope. $2mil.
Next Month: Forget about The Transformers, Harry Potter and even The Simpsons. The only movie to look out for is the one that can only be described as Black Caddyshack
How timely! Does this mean hipster backlash has officially begun? Oh wait, we thought that happened like SIX YEARS AGO on this site. Then again when FREEwilliamsburg founder, Robert Lanham, released his mock anthropological "study" of hipsters, The Hipster Handbook in 2003. The article's authors asked us to respond to the following question: Whether or not you would identify yourself as such, you are considered a hipster-friendly blog, and we'd like to offer you the chance to respond to our charges. Should hipster culture be defended? If so, will you defend it? Here's what we said:
"Isn't hipsterdom dying on its own in New York City? Last time we went to the Lower East Side, it was overrun by smart-casual Coldplay fans wearing jeans and blazers and buying eight dollar Amstel Lights for their anchorwomen-wannabe girlfriends. Or maybe looking like a Hedge-Funder from Connecticut is what passes for hip now in New York.You ask, 'Should hipster culture be defended?' My book The Hipster Handbook was an attempt to call bullshit on this fauxhemian movement nearly five years ago. In the satirical book I claimed that 'hipsters understand that cultural trends become fin the moment they hit the mainstream.' The hipster thing hit the mainstream years ago, so by my own definition it hasn't been cool for a while now.
And let's be honest, hipsters are getting harder to defend now that they're all sporting beards. Williamsburg is beginning to look like a tailgate party at a jam band concert."
--Robert Lanham
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