Justin Little, June 14, 2012
I stopped by Knitting Factory to catch Airwaves set. Once again we have a front women that can sing and can shred. I had a smile on my face during the entire set. Their music made me feel happy. It’s strange, last year I was forced to tell some bands how much they sucked. So far everything has been music to my ears. Good set!
Justin Little, June 14, 2012
I was out front of Spike Hill and heard a girl say,”Wow, that was some Radiohead shit!”. I thought to myself,”Let me be the judge of that.” I walked into Spike Hill in between songs. Every women in the bar had their eyes locked on the stage. I was wondering what was going on. The second they started playing it made sense. See for yourself. Note to self: Make hipster babies while listening to Port St. Willow.
Thirsty? If it’s beer you crave, then you’re in luck! This Saturday, June 16, is the Waterfront Brooklyn Beer Festival, held at 5 North 11th Street.
This beerfest includes lots of food (The Morris Truck, Cornelius, Cool Haus, Sheep Station, The Brooklyn Star, Sigmund’s, and South Brooklyn Pizza) and live music (The Nepotist, The Suit & TYree & BiggThurrsty, Isle of Rhodes, In Like Lions, and Vinyette).
Also, this Sunday, June 17, is Father’s Day. If you didn’t know that already (you’re welcome for the reminder), you probably haven’t gotten him a gift yet. So, this could be your answer – spending quality time downing beers with Dad will probably make him much happier than a new tie or the classic “World’s Best Dad” mug.
Tickets are on sale now, with two sessions and three different ticket packages. Happy Beer Day!
A self-described magician and escapist who once set a record for eating a household light bulb in fewer than 34 seconds was arrested and charged with committing a string of Brooklyn bank robberies.
Being a magician doesn’t guarantee you’ll be any good at robbing banks. This particular bank robber, Robert J. Williams, 22, also holds the record for eating a light bulb at an incredible speed (33.86 seconds, as per recordsetter.com) – truly a man of many talents. Perhaps he thought he could get away with these robberies by eating the cash, or making it magically vanish? Whatever the case, he was arrested Wednesday, June 6. Brooklyn banks are now safe from the magical robber.
Earlier this month, the “No Reservations” star wrapped up the week-long Kings County taste tour for a final fall show.
The brash New Jersey boy turned celeb chef told The News his trip to the borough was prompted by cooks he’s met from across the globe raving about Brooklyn’s eating scene.
“Brooklyn is the nexus where everything is going on right now,” said Bourdain.
“Brooklyn is a melting pot. There are traditional Jewish delis. Caribbeans are a huge part of the culture.
There was an attempt to embrace the features of what makes the Brooklyn picture.”
Sheepshead Bay got the Hollywood treatment hosting Bourdain and his camera crews at two spots: Jay & Lloyds Kosher Delicatessen on Avenue U and Randazzo’s Clam Bar on Emmons Avenue.
Bourdain also spent time in the borough’s hipster and brownstone pockets eating at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, the pricy three Michelin-starred restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. And at Roberta’s on Moore Street in Bushwick.
Not only has Northern Brooklyn become THE place to eat in New York, its become THE place to drink as well. From newcomers like The Ides and Maison Premiere to older favorites like the Turkey’s Nest and The Abbey, there’s no place we’d rather have a cocktail than Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick.
With new watering holes seemingly opening daily, its become impossible to keep up. Who has the best Old Fashioned? The best garden? The worst service? We’re here to help you navigate. Here’s a list of our favorites bars in the neighborhood.
The rapper GZA, one of the founders of the Wu-Tang Clan, will perform all the songs from his landmark 1995 album “Liquid Swords” as part of this year’s Northside Festival in Brooklyn, organizers announced Monday. He will be backed up by Grupo Fantasma, a Latin funk outfit from Texas.
All told, there will be more than 350 bands playing at 25 bars and music halls around Williamsburg and Greenpoint during the four-day music festival, which starts on June 14, the organizers said. Some of the concerts will also be held this year in Williamburg Park, a new indoor performance space on Kent Avenue that can hold 7,000 people.
The list of headliners released Monday during a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall was eclectic, to put it mildly, covering multiple genres and styles. They include Of Montreal, the oddball indie rock band from Athens, Georgia; Ceremony, a hardcore punk band from California; Tinariwen, the Tuareg desert-blues group from Mali; the Felice Brothers, a folk-rock trio from upstate New York, Dam-Funk, a California musician who specializes in funk music; and Screaming Females, the hard rock trio from New Brunswick, NJ.
On Friday, Gizmodo posted about some of the craziest urban plans ever proposed for New York City. One of the most fascinating and bizarre is Dr. Kennard Thomson’s 1916 proposal to fill the East River and create a new waterway between Brooklyn and Queens. The project would have united Manhattan and Brooklyn to create more space for housing and business.
Despite how crazy the proposal seems now, Thomson was a well respected and experienced urban designer. He called the proposal “A Really Greater New York” and published it in Popular Science, writingthat it would “prepare New York for a population of twenty million.” The project would add fifty square miles of land and one hundred miles of waterfront and cost $50-100 million (about $1-10 billion now) for each year of construction. “As a result of the construction,” Thomson wrote, “it would not be much harder to get to Brooklyn than to cross Broadway.”
It seems that nothing was ever made of the project, but it wasn’t long before someone else proposed something similar. In 1924 the city’s traffic commissioner proposed a plan to drain the East River and convert the land into a highway in order to alleviate traffic problems.
google books
These projects seem insanely ambitious now, but the website BigThink writes that “land reclamation” was in vogue at the time, coinciding with the growing popularity of the zeppelin and exploration by air. Around the same time, there were proposals in Europe to connect England with the mainland and to dam the Mediterranean.
It’s clear today that at least someone thought Thomson’s plan was a bad idea. Had the city gone through with the project, Brooklyn no doubt would have taken on Manhattan’s aesthetics and costliness and most of us would probably be living on Long Island.
Check out the full proposal here, thanks to the magic of Google Books.
What’s good Wednesday? How about the honor of premiering a brand new video from BK’s Madam Trashy? We’ll take it. So, sit back and enjoy, and after…please delight yourself in an interview with the gentleman of Madam Trashy and Director, Brian Walsh.
Who and what is Madam Trashy?
A three-piece stoner/prog/metal trio featuring Garth MacAleavey on drums, Jacob Luke on guitar and Brian Murphey on bass. We all share vocal duties.
How long has Madam Trashy been around the block?
We’ve been playing together on and off for 10 years, but Madam Trashy has been around about 2 years in it’s present form.
Earlier this month, there was a post on Snowmine’s first headlining show and Conveyorwas briefly mentioned as one of the opening bands. After experiencing their lively act at Glasslands Gallery, I am compelled to properly introduce these men to you guys. Conveyor is a four men representation of sensational rock music with an experimental and at times, orchestral edge. Last year, they released an EP titled Sun Ray and this year, they have a new single called “Mukraker”. This track is a warm breeze with a bright radiance of the xylophone. Watch the music video of “Mukraker” below and get cozy with their versatile kitchen/loft/recording space.
You know what is so great about these local New York bands? They play local New York shows. This Saturday, Conveyor will be performing with Bryan Scary (another client of the lovable Paper Garden Records) at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Get your tickets here! It’s an early show with doors opening at 7:30 so why not? Last time, a man in a rainbow jumpsuit came on stage during the set with a beautiful trumpet. Maybe this will happen again!
