If it’s a Thursday night–this coming one or any other–you’d be well-advised to head down to Rififi for the standup showcase Totally J/K (8 pm, $5) hosted by Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel .
Each week, before Joe and Noah let any comedians come up and do their thing, they toss a few new entries onto their ever-evolving List of Nothing. "It’s basically a huge notepad that we add to each week," Joe explains. "The list is comprised of terrible ideas–puns mostly–that we’ve rejected as premises for sketches or videos because they’re so retarded." Sounds like something you’d love to read, right? To give you a taste of their show, Joe and Noah have shared some of their favorite entries from the list after the jump.
Welcome to At Large, neighborbee’s newest column. In this column, we will host bloggers who, although not regular columnists, will be contributing to the ‘bee on a relatively frequent basis. Our first At Large post is from one of our favorite bloggers of all time (and last week ’s featured blogger on The Swarm): Rob The Bouncer .
I know where Roger Clemens ate dinner on Wednesday night. I know where he ate, what he ate, with whom he ate, and what was talked about at his table. I know these things because I was sitting six feet away from him for the better part of an hour.
What happens to me, from time to time, is I get invited to events and activities hosted by very wealthy people. Now, I don’t know a lot of very wealthy people. For whatever reason, though, I know more than my share of people who know people who are very wealthy. The people I know aren’t wealthy themselves, but they seem to receive a disproportionate number of invitations to things involving very wealthy people.
For the purposes of this discussion, “very wealthy people” are, indeed, very wealthy. I’m not referring to some dude who makes $300K per year, plus bonuses, working for Goldman Sachs. This is about people you’ve probably heard of
When these friends of mine receive these invitations, they’re often inexplicably inclined to bring me along as a guest. I don’t know why this is the case, but it happens quite frequently. I have no complaints about these invitations. I simply find it rather amusing to end up, every few months or so, floating around in environs to which I’m not particularly accustomed – and by unaccustomed, I’m not talking about some hackneyed “Which fork do I use?” scenario, either. I just mean that I don’t hang out with very rich people on a regular basis, so I find it interesting to observe them in their natural habitat.
Although firmly rooted in psychedelic rock, 54 Seconds excels at creating catchy, well-crafted pop songs.
Consisting of Spencer Gibb (guitar/vocal/songwriter), Stewart Cochran (keys, backing vocals), Rachel Loy (bass, backing vocals), and Jeff Botta (drums, percussion), 54 Seconds has a wide variety of sounds with which to weave their musical fabric. Gibb’s songs are accessible yet deep, with poignant stories and infectious hooks. Loy’s voice provides an excellent counterpoint to Gibb’s. And Cochran, who by day plays piano for ballet and modern dance performances, brings the keyboards to the fore in a way that I wish more bands would.
Gibb is the creative center of the band, writing lyrics and singing lead vocals. Despite being the son of legendary Bee Gee Robin Gibb, he’s determined to make it the old-fashioned way - by traveling around the country and playing at clubs like Rehab and Cicero’s .
Although regulars to the Austin scene (having snagged an SXSW award for Best Music Video ), 54 Seconds recently embarked on their first national tour to promote their new album, Postcards from California .
I had the pleasure of seeing them perform at Rehab last Saturday, where I filmed them playing Dirty Little Secret (video above), That’s How I Roll , and California . Before the gig, we walked up to Tompkins Square Park, where I had the opportunity to ask them a few questions. (Our Q&A after the jump.)
Last night, neighborbeeblog got out of the house and had a very good time at a preview party for the newest batch of Rock Band’s downloadable songs.
The party was held at Angels and Kings, which is known to most people as Fall Out Boy/guyliner aficionado Pete Wentz’s bar (where “Pete Wentz Sucks” was scrawled all over the bathroom walls). The crowd consisted of Rock Band enthusiasts, many of whom played new song after new song, fueled by their inner rock gods and free drinks.
Harmonix has thus far added 110 downloadable songs for the game, ranging from The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” to “Crushcrushcrush” by Paramore (thank you, promo ads during The Hills, for introducing me to Paramore and not making me feel so incredibly old). The neighborbeeblog crew sang our fair share of songs, including My Sharona, Roam, and More Than A Feeling. We would have tried out several more, but we ended up playing the same songs multiple times, since we, um, failed a few times.
In between shredding and belting out/mutilating our favorite tunes, we got to talk to one of Harmonix’s developers, who informed us that not only is Rock Band for Wii coming out in June (as Gossip Girl would say, OMFG), but that The Cars’ super-classic first album will be available for download in its entirety on May 27. I could make the joke about the new songs being just what I needed, but I’ll refrain. Sort of.
I have a confession to make. Last week, I promised that this week I’d write about the Tony nominations in the play categories. And I’m going to. But here’s the thing: (deep breath) I haven’t seen any of the nominated plays. (Whaaaaat? Fire this girl immediately!)
I have nothing against plays, it’s just that… I’m a music person. And I have very limited expendable income. So when I do get tickets to see something, it’s very likely gonna be a musical. But I’m a good little worker bee, and I did my homework, so after the break I will provide you with a little bit of insight on the nominees, strictly based on general internet buzz. If I’m way off the mark - I humbly apologize. Please feel free to email me and we’ll work it out.
This week on The Swarm, neighborbeeblog plays host to Spinachdip NYC. One of NYC’s earliest members of the blogosphere (waaaay back in 2004!), Mr. Dip recently moved to D.C. In the following post, he tells us New Yorkers the top 5 things we shouldn’t take for granted.
It’ll happen to you someday - you’re going to leave New York. Sooner or later, you’ll find a better paying job, start a family, or decide you want to spend your $1 million on something other than a 1-bedroom walkup. And when you do, you’ll miss New York.
I’ve lived in DC for the past year, and as comfortable as it is here, it’s not the same. Whereas people move to NYC for the big city experience, people who move to DC are there in spite of the big city-ness, and it shows.
It’s really the little things I miss, like the coffee vendor on the corner and seeing the Empire State from my rooftop. Anyway, here are the five things about New York that you might take for granted.
Long sideburns. A rustic-sounding harmonica. Cut-off T-shirts. Torn jeans. Ballads of blue collar America. The River, Born to Run, Atlantic City.
Does anyone say it better than The Boss?
I don’t think so. And so, in the spirit of The Boss, I dedicate this blog. I will put every ounce of my own blood, sweat and tears into making this the best food / drink / dance / entertainment / social gathering / art Queens showcase you’ve ever seen.
I’ve seen the good and the bad sides of, as we like to call it, Q-Town, for going on four years. I live in the trenches of Sunnyside Gardens (where the beat hits the street), and I’ll tell you this: there are no handouts and no meal tickets. But there is a place for men like me and Bruce — men of honor, strength and integrity.
You’re probably wondering at this point, Who the %&* is this guy?
Let me tell you. I am the Bruce Springsteen of Queens.
PinkyOtto: 3 locations East Village 307 East 9th Street, New York Nolita 49 Prince St, New York Williamsburg 112 S. 1st St. (at Bedford Ave), Brooklyn
Back in Nolita, my brunch buddy and I wandered past the spangley jewelry vendors on Prince Street, unambitiously pursuing the overcrowded Pinkberry on Spring Street. Fortunately, we discovered another kind of pink diversion: PinkyOtto, the 2nd offshoot of the East Village boutique.
