Right/Left Logic

test cut and paste

2012-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

The Deli Magazine Stompbox Exhibit

2011-10-18T18:15:00.001-07:00

The Deli and Delicious Audio are super proud to announce the first StompBox Exhibit at CMJ, a free event hosted at The Living Room and Ludlow Guitars on Ludlow Street in NYC, during the 2 busiest days of the CMJ Music Marathon. Exhibitors include Moog, TC Electronic, Digitech, T-Rex, Hardwire, Eventide, Line 6, Pigtronix, and many others - MORE INFO HERE.

Deli CMJ Rootsy Show: Oct 19th

2011-10-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

USPS is playing an early CMJ show for our working friends, with some great other bands including Shenandoah and the Nights, (formerly Yard Dogs Road Show. Get to the Living Room right after work and if your not working right when you wake up!

occupy wallstreet 2 points

2011-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

the points are clear

1) massive unemployment for the educated millenial generation and beyond

2) the imbalance of wealth in our country: those at the top are minting it big $1,000,000,000 time

http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

Ry Cooder Review with Muzzle of Bees/Live Music Blog Alliance

2011-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite blogs Muzzle of Bees and Live Music Blog, got together to review one of the greatest influences on my slide playing. What resulted is an excellent review and a reminder that there are living legends playing right now, maybe in your area code.

Bluegrass Jam Rules

2011-08-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

people are unknowingly disturbing the sacredness of the jam at sunny's, be respectful, be mindful and follow these rules...

I Thou shalt not come to the jam to impresseth others with thine own talent for this is an abomination. The music shall be the star around which all musicians rotateth and not viceth-verseth! Attempts to make thine own star shine, shall surely lead thee into darkness!

II Thou shalt not forsake the beat. Thou shalt not speed up nor slow down accidentally when playing a tune for this shall be considered an abomination.

III Thou shalt arrange thyself in a small circle so that thou mayest see and mayest hear all the other musicians. Thou shalt listen with thine ears to the songs and shall attempt to play in one accord with the group. Also, thou shalt lift up thine eyes to look about thee, lest there be some visual sign that someone endeavoureth to render unto thee.

IV Thou shalt play softly when someone lifteth his voice in song, when the guitar taketh a break, and when thou knowest not what thou art doing.

V Thou shalt play in tune! Tune thine instrument well and tune it often with thine electric tuner lest the sound that emanateth from thine instrument be unclean!

VI Thou shalt commence and cease playing each tune as one, so that the noise you make be a joyful noise and is not an abomination. Whensoever a musician sticketh forth his foot, as though he were afflicted with a cramp in the fatted calf, thou must complete the rest of that verse and then cease. Thou shalt stick out thine own foot or else lift up thy voice, crying, “This is it!” or “Last time!” if thou hast been the one to begin the song and it hath been played sufficient times over. If the one who beginneth a tune, endeth it not by one of these signs, then the music goeth on in repetitious fashion until the listeners shall say, “Hark, it all soundeth the same!”

VII Thou shalt concentrate and shalt not confound the music by mixing up the “A” part with the “B” part. Most songs, but not all, proceedeth by the ancient law: “AABB”. But, if thou sinneth in this regard or make any mistake that is unclean, thou mayest atone not by stopping, nay, but by reentering the song at the proper place and playing on. Thy fellow musicians will support thee in this regard.

VIII Thou shalt be ever mindful of the key that the banjo is tuned in, and shall play many tunes in that key, for the banjo is but a lowly instrument and must needfully be retuned every time there is a key change.

IX Thou shalt speak gentle words of encouragement to those nourished on the milk of bluegrass music, but not the meat, lest a harsh word turn one again to the darkness that is pop music.

X Thou shalt not, by thyself, commence noodling off on a tune that the other musicians knoweth not, unless asked or unless thou art teaching that tune for this is an abomination, and the other musicians shall not hold thee blameless, and shall strike thee from their computer lists, yea, unto the third and fourth generation.

Jams And Jam Etiquette
For Pickers and Grinners
By Roger Russell

Disclaimer: The opinions offered in this article are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else (such as, the Board of Directors or membership of SWBA). Further and for the record, the author freely acknowledging participating in jams during which he and/or others did indeed fail to follow one, or more of the features of jam etiquette discussed below.

What is a bluegrass jam?

A bluegrass jam, or any kind of jam for that matter, is an event in which musicians come together to play and sing unrehearsed music with and for each other. They may, or may not, know each other in advance—often in a given jam some do know each other, while some don’t. There may be observers, an audience of sorts, but the main thing for those jamming is having fun playing music together.

Pickers and grinners: When it comes to the matter of jam etiquette, then, there are those guidelines that apply to the musicians (pickers) and those that apply to the listeners (grinners). And each are there to help with the goal of jamming, in the first place.

Primary goal of a bluegrass jam

Given what a bluegrass jam is in the first place, it’s easy to see that the primary goal is having fun making music together. It’s an opportunity for musicians to play together. Simple as that.

The reason for jam etiquette, rules, guidelines, whatever

And the reason for any sort of etiquette, guidelines, or rules for behavior in a jam, is to make it easier for that goal to be achieved. Simple as that. Some of them apply primarily to the jammers (pickers), the musicians singing and playing, while others apply to those listening (grinners). They all have to do with achieving the goal of jamming: Having fun playing and singing bluegrass music.

If a group of musicians, some who may know each other and some who may not, come together to jam, and if they have some idea in advance about what’s expected, they can get down to the business of playing together without preliminary discussion, or negotiation about how they should proceed. And that makes it an easier, more enjoyable experience.

Which is NOT to say that such discussions won’t occur, because sometimes they do, for various reasons. But having a basic understanding of what is going on in a jam helps facilitate the playing and even helps any discussion that may be arise.

Variations in jam etiquette

There are lots of opinions, ideas, suggestions, commands, directives, etc. regarding bluegrass jamming and how to participate. And while some might be rather dictatorial, insisting that the rules, or standards, or whatever, that apply to jams and jamming absolutely must be followed, the simple fact is that it depends…it depends on what kind of jam it is, it depends upon who is playing in the jam, it depends on the phase of the moon, time of day, etc.

For example, some will say ONLY bluegrass can be played in a bluegrass jam…but, guess what, there are differing opinions about what constitutes bluegrass (is it only “traditional” or can it include “contemporary,” or “progressive” bluegrass?), AND some folks in some jams are willing to include folk music, or Old Time music, or Country-And-Western music, or even Bluegrass-style renditions of popular tunes and songs.

For another example, some will say that ONLY certain acoustic instruments (such as guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, resonator slide guitar, and violin) can be used in a bluegrass jam… But, again, that can vary, and sometimes an autoharp, or a harmonica, or hybrid instruments like a “banjolin” (banjo mandolin), or an amplified base, or a hammered dulcimer, or even an accordion will find it’s way into a jam.

So not all jams are the same. Consequently, not every jam follows exactly the same etiquette. It all depends on who’s in the jam and what they collectively find acceptable.

And probably the most important thing is being aware of the major goal for jamming (having fun making music together), and from there what the range of expectations and preferences are that serve that purpose.

In other words, while it’s beneficial to know the general etiquette that most follow in a jam, it’s also important to get a sense of what’s expected, accepted and being done in a specific jam, especially if it involves musicians one has never played with before. And probably the best way to do this is to listen and observe, and when appropriate ask questions.

General jam guidelines: For Pickers

Though there are different jams with different players using different guidelines, there are some features that tend to occur in all discussions of jam etiquette. Here are several of these common features.

How jams are organized and run: All the jam etiquette discussions emphasize the idea that jams are run in a manner that gives everybody the best opportunity to participate. To accomplish this, jams generally have:

Jam leader: Some jams have a leader, someone who oversees the functioning of the jam (this person is not the same as the song leader discussed below). But others jams don’t. If there is a leader, it may be the person at whose site the jam is taking place.

One additional reason for knowing about the jam guidelines it to understand what’s happening at jams where there is no clearly identified leader.

Jammers in a circle: Some prefer standing, while others prefer sitting, but either way the players arrange themselves in a circle so they can see and hear each other as they play.

How big should the circle be? That depends on the preferences of the players. Sometimes the circle becomes quite large. Those who prefer smaller jams will either not join such a jam, or leave when one becomes too large for their taste. Perhaps, the main issues concerning jam size are how hard it is to hear other players across the circle, how much opportunity there is to do a solo (see below), and how long it takes to go around the circle.

A sequence in which players participate: The goal is to make sure all who want to participate do so, whether it’s in song selection and singing, or in taking breaks (doing solos between lyrics).

Song leader: Usually songs are selected and lead by individual jam members one at a time, going around the circle. Now, some suggest it should be counter-clockwise in the circle, some say clockwise, but either way, it goes one player at a time. The player who’s turn it is selects the song and tells the other the key he, or she is going to sing it in.

Passing: Any jammer is free at any particular time to pass, but if the person is not really able to sing songs, or do solos (see below), it is generally best for that person to play outside of the circle, so the others in the circle know not to include them in song selection, or taking breaks.

Singing along with the leader: There are times when others in a jam join in singing with the person who’s doing the song, but unless otherwise requested, this is usually reserved for the chorus, and for the most part it is done for the purpose of harmonizing, not simply singing along.

Taking breaks (performing solos): This may, or may not follow a sequence (such as clockwise, or counterclockwise), because it is up to the person who has selected and is singing the song to call out individuals to do solos (verbally, or by a nod).

Those who want to do a solo usually try to make that evident by making eye contact with the particular song leader, who often is looking around the circle to see who wants to take a break; making such eye contact can be very important, since song leader may not otherwise know. And anyone who doesn’t want to solo on a particular song avoids eye contact, or signals by a negative shake of the head.

Often the sequence that the leader chooses when assigning solos takes into account the various instruments arrayed around the circle. If, for example, there are two guitars next to each other, the leader may skip one at one point, but return to that one later, so there is more variety during a particular break, and so two guitarists don't have to play one after the other.

What not to do: All jam guidelines also suggest that, regardless what one does do in a jam, jam etiquette is there to prevent behavior that can cause difficulty for other players. So what sorts of things can do this? Here’s a list of things that most often arise:

Noodling between songs. This involves playing scales, or licks, or chords, between songs. This can be very distracting, especially for the next player who’s turn it is to come up with a song. He, or she may be trying to remember something about the song, and noodling can distract him, or her. The one possible exception is the person who is responsible for the next song, who may noodle a bit to find correct key and/or remember an arrangement.

This is not to say noodling cannot be done at all; for those who are mobile, it’s simply a matter of stepping out of the circle and earshot.

Playing over someone else’s solo. Pros on albums can and do at times have two musicians harmonizing with each other during a break, but during a jam this can be problematic, because the person taking the break: (a) deserves his, or her solo, and (b) can easily be distracted by anyone who isn't just providing rhythm backup.

Tuning It is very important to be in tune, and those without perfect pitch use electronic tuners to tune their instruments. Usually, however, doing this while in the jam circle is seen as inappropriate--might be OK for those who are mobility limited, but otherwise players are expected to move out of circle to tune, or retune. It's the same problem as noodling. Of course, it may happen that several folks decide to check they're tuning at the same time, and the jam may pause for this to happen.

High Volume: Those who play excessively loud (especially on instruments that are inherently loud in the first place) can cover other instruments, or singers, with the result that they can’t be heard; if it’s the person leading the song who can’t be heard, the whole song can fall apart.

Hogging the jam. As indicated above, jams are an opportunity for players to play, and for those who sing to sing. Anyone who doesn’t follow the established sequence and keeps going out of turn can easily prevent this from happening.

A note about jam-busting: This refers to someone coming into a jam who, usually by violating various aspects of jam etiquette listed above, causes the jam to break up (people start leaving until only the jam-buster remains). The jam-buster’s behavior, one way or another, makes playing together in that jam unsatisfactory, so the jam ends.

Sometimes, this can include not being able to play up to the level of the others in the jam. Whether or not this is a problem will generally have to do with: (a) how much disparity there is in playing ability, or (b) the person's perceived ability to improve and benefit from playing with better musicians, or (c) the jammers willingness to include those who are less proficient (see below) , or (d) some combination of all three and maybe other factors as well. But whatever problems presented by someone who doesn't play as well, they're not really a matter of violating jam etiquette, so much as they are something that may reduce the fun for the other players in the jam--and whether that's the case, depends on just exactly who those members are. Remember, not all jams are the same.

Understandably, jam-busting is considered to be a bad thing. And, for the most part, it is, because the goal of jamming is to have fun playong together, and anyone who stops that from happening has thwarted that goal.

So, while there is nothing sacred about a jam (who knows, at times there may be jams that deserve to be busted), it’s better to abide by the general jam guidelines, or walk away and find another jam, if a particular one is unsatisfactory, than it is to enter and somehow bust up the jam.

Inclusiveness: Finally, and perhaps most important of all, almost all jam etiquettes written for bluegrass include the notion of inclusiveness. The guidelines are there to facilitate the joint enterprise of making music The goal is to encourage and make this possible, and this includes encouraging people who are just starting to get involved. So…while there may be varying guidelines that may, or may not be rigidly enforced in any particular jam, it’s important that whatever etiquette is being followed also be welcoming toward any and all who want to participate, regardless of their level of experience, or expertise, with the understanding that anyone who participates in a disruptive way may be politely told how to follow the etiquette, or to leave. In the event there is a group of players who are not welcoming, and this does indeed happen, then its best to move on to a jam that's more inclusive.

General jam guidelines: For Grinners

Yes, there are some guidelines that apply to those who so graciously choose to participate by listening. And like those for pickers, they primarily have to do with helping achieve the goal of the jam: Having fun playing and singing Bluegrass together.

Since those who come to listen don’t actually participate in the making of the music, the guidelines that apply to them mostly have to do with those things they might do that would get in the way of the jam. However, just like the etiquette for pickers, there can and will be variation in these guidelines, depending on the nature of the specific jam.

They all have to do with either distracting, or interrupting the jammers. These are the sorts of things that can do that:

1. Talking: Since grinners aren’t playing, there’s nothing to prevent them from talking to each other. And that’s something they should do. The problem is when they are sitting so close to the players that their conversation distracts the pickers. So…the general guideline is:

Sit far enough away that the jammers don't become distracted by the conversation.

If you’re not sitting that far away, only talk between songs.

2. Greeting jammers: Pickers and grinners alike are happy to meet and greet, so everyone wants to know if and when friends arrive. But…when it comes to the pickers, they usually don’t want that to happen during a song. So it’s best to wait for a break in the action, to make your presence known between songs. P.S. This applies to pickers who come up to a jam, as well.

3. Ah, the young’uns: It’s wonderful to have children involved. They’re a delight in their own right. And to have them present as potential participants in the future of Bluegrass is a wonderful prospect. And, as we all know, kids will be kids. They can be loud, rambunctious and highly energetic, enthusiastically running hither and yon, yelling in their loudest voices. We would never want to discourage that. And…all jammers would like to welcome kids into the jam as grinners, or pickers, for that matter, if they play, or are learning to play.

But, by their energy, their enthusiasm, by their possible lack of knowledge of jam etiquette, they do have the potential to obstruct the goal of jamming—so grinners and pickers alike are asked to recognize the potential affect of their children on jams and let the kids know how to be a helpful participants.

Some internet resources

Here are some links to other sites on the internet that provide discussions of jam etiquette:

Jam Etiquette - author unknown
Jam Etiquette - author unknown
Jam Etiquette by Edward I. Pollak
Jam Etiquette by Martha Haehl
Jam Session Etiquette by Vivian T. Williams
Jamming Etiquette by Doug Cox
Introduction to bluegrass jamming by Tom Barnwell
Ten Commandments of Jamming - author unknown, includes some suggestions by Pete Wernick
What IS a "Jammer"? by Dave Sawyer

All content herein © Southwest Bluegrass Association 2008 all rights reserved
grass Association 2007 all rights reserved

All content herein © Southwest Bluegrass Association 2007 all rights reserved

Rough Magic Studios: Alby Cohen

2011-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is Alby, I have crossed paths with him over the years and have come to discern that he is a good dude. He produces for just about every band in Brooklyn, (an impressive roster I can't even begin to rattle off) check out his documentary and if you like his work he is the first boy to holler at!

ART CREATURE: Alby Cohen from LUNARCY PICTURES on Vimeo.

Fang Island @ Brooklyn Bowl

2011-06-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Fang Island @ Brooklyn Bowl-May 27th,2011
by Jason Bertone

When the Brooklyn based Fang Island took the stage for a hometown show as part of The Deli Magazine’s Best of NYC Fest, the energy was decidedly relaxed. A cool summer evening at Brooklyn Bowl makes for an ideal night out. Anyone who was at all “relevant” in NYC was there, with bowling, revelry and hipsters milling about promoting their various ironic art and music projects.

Fang Island formed as part of an “art project” while at Road Island School of Design, but the feeling in the crowd was more reminiscent of a pep rally than a gallery opening. The audience was slightly more energetic than a usual indie rock crowd with only about 75 percent of the audience standing absolutely still arms folded. The large standing room venue, which doubles as a bowling alley, could very well have been the most inviting room in Williamsburg that evening. The positivity starts from the top down. Fang Island self describes their sound as “everyone high-fiving everyone,” an assessment that encapsulates the band’s performance. This self description has been quoted ad nauseam in the press, yet a thousand times later it still sounds cute. The group’s personnel consists of three guitarists along with a drum and bass, members double on keyboard at any given time. The result is a lush, layered sound that is conversational and rich in interplay.

Fang Island represents a new type of guitar driven music outside the traditional crew of hotshot pickers who trade licks and solos between verses and choruses. No one in the group chooses to take a specific solo or even a lead vocal line. Guitar melodies and danceable beats lay the groundwork for chanted, anthemic vocals. The extended instrumentals are extremely structured and the word math rock come to mind. In the vein of great performance bands that have come before them, Fang Island has an unconventional assortment of tunes and arrangements that are optimized for a long set as opposed to a radio spot. The band has been described as bordering on progressive rock and musically, has a surprising amount in common with jamband heroes Umphrey’s Mcgee.

When the band took to the stage around midnight, the whole crowd was swaying if not dancing. Primarily playing songs from their recently released, self-titled album, Fang Island presented an engaging concert experience; the largely instrumental music blended together, holding a consistently upbeat tempo for the entire performance. New Jersey based multi-instrumentalist (and mastermind behind experimental rock group Delicate Steve) Steve Marion took a drive over the Varrizano to join on a spirited version of “Davey Crockett.” The night climaxed with “Daisy,” a tune featured in a shortly lived reality show but beloved for being perhaps the most euphoric rock anthem in years. High fives all around.

SETLIST – 5/27/11 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, New York
Swear Boys
The Illinois
Seek It Out
Life Coach
Welcome Wagon
Sideswiper
Asunder
Chompers
Treeton
Careful Crossers
Davy Crockett*
Dreams Of Dreams
Daisy

* With Steve Marion from Delicate Steve, Alex Barton and Justin Wright

Save The Date: Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped.

2011-05-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Josh Barron and Dean Budnic number 1 and 2 respectively at Relix Magazine have co authored a book exposing the evils of the ticketing industry, and will be hosting a panel this coming Thursday at 92YTribeca from 7-8:30PM. with some great people participating inlcuding John Scher, Eric Baker (StubHub, Viagogo), Andrew Dreskin (Ticketfly, TicketWeb) and Mike Luba (S2BN Entertainment, Madison House, SCI Ticketing)

"As sales of recorded music plummet, live shows are supposed to save the music industry. Maybe so. But who will save the fans-beleaguered by scalpers, high ticket prices and insane "service" fees? Budnick and Baron explain how we got to this sorry pass, and what will have to happen before we get through it. Music lovers both, they're on the side of concert goers, who pay the bills and deserve more for their dollars and devotion."
- Anthony DeCurtis, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone

"Dean Budnick and Josh Baron brilliantly chronicle the storied history of ticketing, providing a front row seat to the back room drama. A must-read for any music business enthusiast."
- Shirley Halperin, Music Editor, The Hollywood Reporter

Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped. Is based on first-person interviews with key players and meticulous research, Ticket Masters by Dean Budnick and Josh Baron is the first book-length exploration of the modern concert industry

Just in time for the summer concert season, Ticket Masters chronicles the as-yet-untold story of the live entertainment industry, revealing its origins, development and ongoing strategies of companies such as Ticketmaster, Live Nation and StubHub and the efforts of numerous independent competitors. With over 100 exclusive interviews and utilizing many previously unreleased documents, this character-driven book explores the actions and impact of the iconoclasts guiding these companies while folding in related tales of scalping syndicates, old school music promoters and would-be Internet tycoons along with the brash business decisions of such world-renowned groups as the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam and The Rolling Stones.

Like no previous book, Ticket Masters sheds light upon the complex relationships between artists, promoters, ticketing agents and the public. Beginning with the previously unreported details behind the rise and demise of the once-dominant Ticketron, Ticket Masters proceeds to share gripping accounts and analysis of Ticketmaster's eventual market supremacy, SFX and Clear Channel's promoter rollup, the cutthroat battle for secondary ticket sales and numerous other tales of the industry's most significant architects. Whether it's Michael Cohl nabbing the Stones from Bill Graham, Ticketmaster's defeat of Pearl Jam or the silent efforts of music superstars to mark up their ticket prices for complicit websites, Budnick and Baron examine the pivotal developments that have shaped the industry as we know it.

The Deil Best of NYC Fest 2011

2011-05-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

I currently am a web developer at The Deli Magazine, it is the yin to my yang, a scene that appreciates folk and bluegrass but is completely foreign to the corresponding festival culture. A much more "urban" mindset, I like to expose myself to different musical opinions and subcultures. I am definitely the improv rock, anomaly but I like it that way.

SPRING 2011 ART + ARCHITECTURE SHOW Gowanus Ballroom

2011-04-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.gowanusballroom.com

Ursula Viglietta senior designer for the Deli deserves a medial for going days without sleep to curate the best event I have attended all year in Brooklyn. The events opening night was this past Friday and the turnout was amazing.

Gowanus Ballroom is a 12,000-square-foot space beneath 50-foot cathedral ceilings with a 4,000-square-foot mezzanine overlooking the lower gallery. In 2010, Josh Young of Serett Metal retooled the space for artists to work.

This event had massive Burning Man worthy installations, and a complete lineup of bluegrass/old-time bands, the event combined the relevancy of an indie art with the honest fun of a bluegrass festival.

The installations included a tree house and a cozy area of wooden igloos put together with chicken wire. I caught a great old time jazz band called Apocolypse 5 and Dime which played old jazzy tunes with the tuba bumping the bass line, the fiddler player is incredibly melodic, and the horn section truly sets the band apart. Other great bands that played included, Crooks and Perverts, Yula and the Extended Family and Morgan O’Kane. The show will be up throughout this week, with a closing party on Saturday the 15th. Saturday's lineup brings in music by Melody Allegra Berger, Union Street Preservation Society, Crooks and Perverts and Morgan O’Kane.

artists featured in the show include, Adriana Atema, Aimee Bonamie, Amy Consolo, Ben Wolf, Brian Whiteley, Christina Kelly, Domestic Construction, Douglas Draper, Emma Stern, Felix morelo, Georgie Flores, Gerri Davis, Heidi Tullman, Jason Gandy, Kristin Künc, Lopi LaRoe, Matt Allison, Matthew Silver aka Heartpocalypse, Matt Stolle, Matthew William Robinson, Nathan Maxwell Cann, Patricia Watwood, Rob Zeller, the Objectionists, Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels, Shannon Gillen & Guests, Tod Seelie, Ursula Viglietta, Vanessa Cronan, and more

Oh Land Residency at The Charles Bank Gallery

2011-03-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Danish electropop artist Oh Land is celebrating the release of her new self-titled album with a unique art installation at The Charles Bank Gallery here in NYC.

Artist Eske Kath has created a sculpture-, paint- and video-based visual landscape inspired by the album that will be open to the public March 29-April 2 from 12-7 p.m.

Oh Land will perform with a different setup each night, beginning with a string quartet performance on the 29^th. Performances will start each night at 8:30 p.m., with doors/cocktails starting at 8 p.m.

Allman Brothers at The Beacon 3-22-11

2011-03-24T10:51:00.001-07:00

The Heavy Pets 03/18/11 Brooklyn Bowl

2011-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

So good to see The Pets again. Enjoy

Bowlive 2 #10 Soulive Taylor Hicks Nigel Hall Sat 3-12-11

2011-03-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Wordless Music Series comes to Brooklyn + Lincoln Center

2011-02-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

Feast of music covered this a couple years back, listings below.

Jeff Mangum
of Neutral Milk Hotel
first U.S. shows since 1998
and the start of our 5th anniversary season

Friday, Sept. 9: Sanders Theatre at Harvard University
Saturday, Sept. 10: Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory

+
Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra
at Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress,
and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis

+
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
first NYC/Brooklyn shows since 2003
a small number of tickets
to be released Friday, Feb. 25

+
Gavin Bryars' "The Sinking of the Titanic":
A performance installation at the Guggenheim Museum
with artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster

+
the U.S. premiere of Jonny Greenwood's
"Doghouse" for large orchestra and string trio

with
the New York premiere of
Philip Glass / David Bowie / Brian Eno's
Symphony No. 4 ("'Heroes'")

Just announced: 5th anniversary season kicks off with Jeff Mangum in Boston
In September of 2006, the Wordless Music series presented its first concert at the 250-capacity Good Shepherd Faith Church on West 66th Street in New York City. Five years later, we are slightly shocked and humbled to announce the start of our 5th anniversary season with a true musical great: Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, performing his first U.S. live shows since 1998, and in two of the country's great historic acoustical treasures: on Friday, September 9, at the 1,150-capacity Sanders Theatre at Harvard University in Cambridge; and Saturday, September 10, at the 1,050-capacity Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory in Boston. Tickets for these concerts will be $35 and open to audience members of all ages.

Presales for the Jordan Hall concert start at 10am this Friday, February 25 via the Jordan Hall box office; a larger allotment of Jordan Hall tickets will be sold through the same outlets starting at 10am on Saturday, February 26.

Presales for the Sanders Theatre concert start at 12pm next Thursday, March 3 via the Harvard box office; a larger allotment of Sanders Theatre tickets will be sold through the same outlets starting at 12pm on Friday, March 4.

Also on sale this Friday, Feb. 25: a small number of GY!BE tickets to be released
On four consecutive nights beginning Tuesday, March 15, Wordless Music teams up with our friends at The Blackened Music Series to present the first NYC and Brooklyn shows in eight years by the reunited Montreal orchestral-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor, at two of New York's most extraordinary venues--the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in Fort Greene. This Friday, February 25, at 12pm noon, a very small number of tickets to Godspeed's Thursday and Friday (March 17-18) shows at St. Paul the Apostle will be released for an exceedingly short time via this link and this link. Tickets are $25 general admission, open to audience members of all ages, and will not last very long at all.

Next month: Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra
Rapidly approaching in March: the first-ever tour of the Wordless Music Orchestra with composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton, formerly of Battles, performing new works for orchestra and electronics from Braxton's recent Warp Records solo debut Central Market and music by John Adams, Louis Andriessen, and Caleb Burhans for concerts at Alice Tully Hall in New York (as part of Lincoln Center’s Tully Scope festival), the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Tickets for the Library of Congress concert have been nearly all scooped up; tickets for Lincoln Center and the Walk er Art Center are still on sale.

Also in March: Deerhoof curates + headlines Carnegie Hall's 2011 Japan NYC festival
On Monday, March 14 at Le Poisson Rouge, Wordless Music co-presents a special collaboration with Carnegie Hall as part of their 2011 Japan NYC Festival, for which the great Tokyo/San Francisco noise-pop group Deerhoof will curate and headline a bill of specially chosen artists representing the best of contemporary experimental music from Japan. With sets from Deerhoof as well as friends and band favorites Ichi and If By Yes (Yuka Honda and Petra Haden).

"T. 1912: Gavin Bryars' The Sinking of the Titanic" at the Guggenheim
In April, as part of the Guggenheim Museum's spring exhibition "The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918," the Wordless Music Orchestra will collaborate with artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster for "T. 1912": a performance installation of Gavin Bryars' ambient classic The Sinking of the Titanic in the historic Guggenheim rotunda, in which the audience also plays a role. "Boarding" for the early and late performances of "T. 1912" will close at 8:40pm and 10:40pm.

And the 2011-12 season finale:
On May 20 and 21, Wordless Music concludes its fourth season with the United States premiere of Doghouse, the longest and largest work yet for orchestra by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, on a program with the first New York City performance of Philip Glass / David Bowie / Brian Eno's Symphony No. 4 ("'Heroes,'" based on the music of Bowie and Eno) and György Ligeti's Chamber Concerto, all performed by Ensemble Signal with the Wordless Music Orchestra and conductor Brad Lubman. Tickets for the May 20 and May 21 concerts at the New York Society for Ethical Culture are now on sale.

Wordless Music
2010-11 Season

03.04.2011 Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis)
03.07.2011 Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Alice Tully Hall, NYC)
03.10.2011 Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Library of Congress, Washington DC) (free!)
03.14.2011 Deerhoof & Friends: a musical event within Carnegie Hall's 2011 Japan NYC festival (Le Poisson Rouge, NYC)
03.15.2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Brooklyn Masonic Temple)
03.16.2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Brooklyn Masonic Temple)
03.17.2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Church of St. Paul the Apostle, NYC)
03.18.2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Church of St. Paul the Apostle, NYC)
04.14.2011 Gavin Bryars' "The Sinking of the Titanic" (Guggenheim Museum, NYC)
05.20.2011 Jonny Greenwood's "Doghouse" with music of György Ligeti + Glass/Bowie/Eno (New York Society for Ethical Culture)
05.21.2011 Jonny Greenwood's "Doghouse" with music of György Ligeti + Glass/Bowie/Eno (New York Society for Ethical Culture)

Wordless Music
2011-12 5th Anniversary Season
(in progress)

09.09.2011 Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel (Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, Cambridge MA)
09.10.2011 Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel (Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory, Boston MA)

Friday, March 4, 2011
Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Caleb Burhans, conductor):
New compositions and music from Braxton's Central Market
John Adams: Road Movies, for violin and piano (1995)
Louis Andriessen: Workers' Union, for chamber orchestra (1975)
Caleb Burhans: In a Distant Place, for chamber orchestra (2008
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis / 8pm show / $25 / all ages
Presented by the Walker Art Center in association with Wordless Music

Monday, March 7, 2011
Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Caleb Burhans, conductor):
New compositions and music from Braxton's Central Market
John Adams: Road Movies, for violin and piano (1995)
Louis Andriessen: Workers' Union, for chamber orchestra (1975)
Caleb Burhans: In a Distant Place, for chamber orchestra (2008)
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center / 7:30pm show / $20-50 tickets / all ages
Co-presented by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Wordless Music as part of the 2011 Tully Scope festival

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Caleb Burhans, conductor):
New compositions and music from Braxton's Central Market
John Adams: Road Movies, for violin and piano (1995)
Louis Andriessen: Workers' Union, for chamber orchestra (1975)
Caleb Burhans: In a Distant Place, for chamber orchestra (2008)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. / 8pm / (FREE concert!)
Free tickets available starting 10am, January 26, 2011
Co-presented by The Library of Congress and Wordless Music

Monday, March 14, 2011
Deerhoof & Friends:
A musical event within Carnegie Hall's 2011 Japan NYC Festival
with Ichi and If By Yes (Yuka Honda + Petra Haden)
Co-presented by Carnegie Hall and Wordless Music
Le Poisson Rouge / 7pm doors / 8pm show / $20

Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
317 Clermont Avenue at Lafayette, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
8pm doors / 9pm show / all ages / ***SOLD OUT***
Co-presented by Wordless Music and The Blackened Music Series

Thursday, March 17, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
The Church of St. Paul the Apostle
Columbus Avenue at West 60th Street
7pm doors / 8pm show / all ages
Tickets on sale 12pm Friday, Feb. 25: (March 17 show) (March 18 show)
Co-presented by Wordless Music and The Blackened Music Series

Thursday, April 14, 2011
T. 1912: Gavin Bryars' The Sinking of the Titanic (1969)
A performance installation with artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
"Boardings" close at 8:40pm and 10:40pm
The Guggenheim Museum
1071 5th Avenue (at East 88th Street)
Co-presented by Wordless Music and the Guggenheim Museum

Friday, May 20, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Ensemble Signal with the Wordless Music Orchestra (Brad Lubman, conductor)
Jonny Greenwood: Doghouse, for large orchestra and string trio (2010) (U.S. premiere)
György Ligeti: Chamber Concerto, for thirteen instrumentalists (1969-70)
Philip Glass / David Bowie / Brian Eno: Symphony No. 4 ("'Heroes,'" based on music of Eno and Bowie) (1996) (New York premiere)
Courtney Orlando, violin
John Richards, viola
Lauren Radnofsky, cello
Tickets on sale now: (May 20 show) (May 21 show)
New York Society for Ethical Culture
7pm doors / 8pm show / all ages / $25-35 tickets with $5 service charge (sorry)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, September 9, 2011
Jeff Mangum
of Neutral Milk Hotel
Sanders Theatre at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
Tickets on sale 12pm Thursday, March 3
7:30pm doors / 8pm show / $35 / all ages

Saturday, September 10, 2011
Jeff Mangum
of Neutral Milk Hotel
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory (Boston, MA)
Tickets on sale 10am Friday, Friday 25
7pm doors / 8pm show / $35 / all ages

wordlessmusic.org

Dive Bar Dukes Win Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Battle

2011-02-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

check them out http://www.myspace.com/divebardukes

Melody Allegra's band just won first prize at The Battle of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Bands 2011. As a prize, They'll Fly Away/... Cali for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

Bluegrass NYC News

2011-02-16T23:52:00.001-08:00

USPS continues to make waves, with an EP release at Jalopy, an article in the Daily News, Glide Magazine, Current.com and the Murdock owned Brooklyn Paper (bet you didn't know he bought that)

People are unknowingly fucking up the jam at sunny's, be respectful, be mindful and follow these rules...

Jams And Jam Etiquette
For Pickers and Grinners
By Roger Russell

Disclaimer: The opinions offered in this article are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else (such as, the Board of Directors or membership of SWBA). Further and for the record, the author freely acknowledging participating in jams during which he and/or others did indeed fail to follow one, or more of the features of jam etiquette discussed below.

What is a bluegrass jam?

A bluegrass jam, or any kind of jam for that matter, is an event in which musicians come together to play and sing unrehearsed music with and for each other. They may, or may not, know each other in advance—often in a given jam some do know each other, while some don’t. There may be observers, an audience of sorts, but the main thing for those jamming is having fun playing music together.

Pickers and grinners: When it comes to the matter of jam etiquette, then, there are those guidelines that apply to the musicians (pickers) and those that apply to the listeners (grinners). And each are there to help with the goal of jamming, in the first place.

Primary goal of a bluegrass jam

Given what a bluegrass jam is in the first place, it’s easy to see that the primary goal is having fun making music together. It’s an opportunity for musicians to play together. Simple as that.

The reason for jam etiquette, rules, guidelines, whatever

And the reason for any sort of etiquette, guidelines, or rules for behavior in a jam, is to make it easier for that goal to be achieved. Simple as that. Some of them apply primarily to the jammers (pickers), the musicians singing and playing, while others apply to those listening (grinners). They all have to do with achieving the goal of jamming: Having fun playing and singing bluegrass music.

If a group of musicians, some who may know each other and some who may not, come together to jam, and if they have some idea in advance about what’s expected, they can get down to the business of playing together without preliminary discussion, or negotiation about how they should proceed. And that makes it an easier, more enjoyable experience.

Which is NOT to say that such discussions won’t occur, because sometimes they do, for various reasons. But having a basic understanding of what is going on in a jam helps facilitate the playing and even helps any discussion that may be arise.

Variations in jam etiquette

There are lots of opinions, ideas, suggestions, commands, directives, etc. regarding bluegrass jamming and how to participate. And while some might be rather dictatorial, insisting that the rules, or standards, or whatever, that apply to jams and jamming absolutely must be followed, the simple fact is that it depends…it depends on what kind of jam it is, it depends upon who is playing in the jam, it depends on the phase of the moon, time of day, etc.

For example, some will say ONLY bluegrass can be played in a bluegrass jam…but, guess what, there are differing opinions about what constitutes bluegrass (is it only “traditional” or can it include “contemporary,” or “progressive” bluegrass?), AND some folks in some jams are willing to include folk music, or Old Time music, or Country-And-Western music, or even Bluegrass-style renditions of popular tunes and songs.

For another example, some will say that ONLY certain acoustic instruments (such as guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, resonator slide guitar, and violin) can be used in a bluegrass jam… But, again, that can vary, and sometimes an autoharp, or a harmonica, or hybrid instruments like a “banjolin” (banjo mandolin), or an amplified base, or a hammered dulcimer, or even an accordion will find it’s way into a jam.

So not all jams are the same. Consequently, not every jam follows exactly the same etiquette. It all depends on who’s in the jam and what they collectively find acceptable.

And probably the most important thing is being aware of the major goal for jamming (having fun making music together), and from there what the range of expectations and preferences are that serve that purpose.

In other words, while it’s beneficial to know the general etiquette that most follow in a jam, it’s also important to get a sense of what’s expected, accepted and being done in a specific jam, especially if it involves musicians one has never played with before. And probably the best way to do this is to listen and observe, and when appropriate ask questions.

General jam guidelines: For Pickers

Though there are different jams with different players using different guidelines, there are some features that tend to occur in all discussions of jam etiquette. Here are several of these common features.

How jams are organized and run: All the jam etiquette discussions emphasize the idea that jams are run in a manner that gives everybody the best opportunity to participate. To accomplish this, jams generally have:

Jam leader: Some jams have a leader, someone who oversees the functioning of the jam (this person is not the same as the song leader discussed below). But others jams don’t. If there is a leader, it may be the person at whose site the jam is taking place.

One additional reason for knowing about the jam guidelines it to understand what’s happening at jams where there is no clearly identified leader.

Jammers in a circle: Some prefer standing, while others prefer sitting, but either way the players arrange themselves in a circle so they can see and hear each other as they play.

How big should the circle be? That depends on the preferences of the players. Sometimes the circle becomes quite large. Those who prefer smaller jams will either not join such a jam, or leave when one becomes too large for their taste. Perhaps, the main issues concerning jam size are how hard it is to hear other players across the circle, how much opportunity there is to do a solo (see below), and how long it takes to go around the circle.

A sequence in which players participate: The goal is to make sure all who want to participate do so, whether it’s in song selection and singing, or in taking breaks (doing solos between lyrics).

Song leader: Usually songs are selected and lead by individual jam members one at a time, going around the circle. Now, some suggest it should be counter-clockwise in the circle, some say clockwise, but either way, it goes one player at a time. The player who’s turn it is selects the song and tells the other the key he, or she is going to sing it in.

Passing: Any jammer is free at any particular time to pass, but if the person is not really able to sing songs, or do solos (see below), it is generally best for that person to play outside of the circle, so the others in the circle know not to include them in song selection, or taking breaks.

Singing along with the leader: There are times when others in a jam join in singing with the person who’s doing the song, but unless otherwise requested, this is usually reserved for the chorus, and for the most part it is done for the purpose of harmonizing, not simply singing along.

Taking breaks (performing solos): This may, or may not follow a sequence (such as clockwise, or counterclockwise), because it is up to the person who has selected and is singing the song to call out individuals to do solos (verbally, or by a nod).

Those who want to do a solo usually try to make that evident by making eye contact with the particular song leader, who often is looking around the circle to see who wants to take a break; making such eye contact can be very important, since song leader may not otherwise know. And anyone who doesn’t want to solo on a particular song avoids eye contact, or signals by a negative shake of the head.

Often the sequence that the leader chooses when assigning solos takes into account the various instruments arrayed around the circle. If, for example, there are two guitars next to each other, the leader may skip one at one point, but return to that one later, so there is more variety during a particular break, and so two guitarists don't have to play one after the other.

What not to do: All jam guidelines also suggest that, regardless what one does do in a jam, jam etiquette is there to prevent behavior that can cause difficulty for other players. So what sorts of things can do this? Here’s a list of things that most often arise:

Noodling between songs. This involves playing scales, or licks, or chords, between songs. This can be very distracting, especially for the next player who’s turn it is to come up with a song. He, or she may be trying to remember something about the song, and noodling can distract him, or her. The one possible exception is the person who is responsible for the next song, who may noodle a bit to find correct key and/or remember an arrangement.

This is not to say noodling cannot be done at all; for those who are mobile, it’s simply a matter of stepping out of the circle and earshot.

Playing over someone else’s solo. Pros on albums can and do at times have two musicians harmonizing with each other during a break, but during a jam this can be problematic, because the person taking the break: (a) deserves his, or her solo, and (b) can easily be distracted by anyone who isn't just providing rhythm backup.

Tuning It is very important to be in tune, and those without perfect pitch use electronic tuners to tune their instruments. Usually, however, doing this while in the jam circle is seen as inappropriate--might be OK for those who are mobility limited, but otherwise players are expected to move out of circle to tune, or retune. It's the same problem as noodling. Of course, it may happen that several folks decide to check they're tuning at the same time, and the jam may pause for this to happen.

High Volume: Those who play excessively loud (especially on instruments that are inherently loud in the first place) can cover other instruments, or singers, with the result that they can’t be heard; if it’s the person leading the song who can’t be heard, the whole song can fall apart.

Hogging the jam. As indicated above, jams are an opportunity for players to play, and for those who sing to sing. Anyone who doesn’t follow the established sequence and keeps going out of turn can easily prevent this from happening.

A note about jam-busting: This refers to someone coming into a jam who, usually by violating various aspects of jam etiquette listed above, causes the jam to break up (people start leaving until only the jam-buster remains). The jam-buster’s behavior, one way or another, makes playing together in that jam unsatisfactory, so the jam ends.

Sometimes, this can include not being able to play up to the level of the others in the jam. Whether or not this is a problem will generally have to do with: (a) how much disparity there is in playing ability, or (b) the person's perceived ability to improve and benefit from playing with better musicians, or (c) the jammers willingness to include those who are less proficient (see below) , or (d) some combination of all three and maybe other factors as well. But whatever problems presented by someone who doesn't play as well, they're not really a matter of violating jam etiquette, so much as they are something that may reduce the fun for the other players in the jam--and whether that's the case, depends on just exactly who those members are. Remember, not all jams are the same.

Understandably, jam-busting is considered to be a bad thing. And, for the most part, it is, because the goal of jamming is to have fun playong together, and anyone who stops that from happening has thwarted that goal.

So, while there is nothing sacred about a jam (who knows, at times there may be jams that deserve to be busted), it’s better to abide by the general jam guidelines, or walk away and find another jam, if a particular one is unsatisfactory, than it is to enter and somehow bust up the jam.

Inclusiveness: Finally, and perhaps most important of all, almost all jam etiquettes written for bluegrass include the notion of inclusiveness. The guidelines are there to facilitate the joint enterprise of making music The goal is to encourage and make this possible, and this includes encouraging people who are just starting to get involved. So…while there may be varying guidelines that may, or may not be rigidly enforced in any particular jam, it’s important that whatever etiquette is being followed also be welcoming toward any and all who want to participate, regardless of their level of experience, or expertise, with the understanding that anyone who participates in a disruptive way may be politely told how to follow the etiquette, or to leave. In the event there is a group of players who are not welcoming, and this does indeed happen, then its best to move on to a jam that's more inclusive.

General jam guidelines: For Grinners

Yes, there are some guidelines that apply to those who so graciously choose to participate by listening. And like those for pickers, they primarily have to do with helping achieve the goal of the jam: Having fun playing and singing Bluegrass together.

Since those who come to listen don’t actually participate in the making of the music, the guidelines that apply to them mostly have to do with those things they might do that would get in the way of the jam. However, just like the etiquette for pickers, there can and will be variation in these guidelines, depending on the nature of the specific jam.

They all have to do with either distracting, or interrupting the jammers. These are the sorts of things that can do that:

1. Talking: Since grinners aren’t playing, there’s nothing to prevent them from talking to each other. And that’s something they should do. The problem is when they are sitting so close to the players that their conversation distracts the pickers. So…the general guideline is:

Sit far enough away that the jammers don't become distracted by the conversation.

If you’re not sitting that far away, only talk between songs.

2. Greeting jammers: Pickers and grinners alike are happy to meet and greet, so everyone wants to know if and when friends arrive. But…when it comes to the pickers, they usually don’t want that to happen during a song. So it’s best to wait for a break in the action, to make your presence known between songs. P.S. This applies to pickers who come up to a jam, as well.

3. Ah, the young’uns: It’s wonderful to have children involved. They’re a delight in their own right. And to have them present as potential participants in the future of Bluegrass is a wonderful prospect. And, as we all know, kids will be kids. They can be loud, rambunctious and highly energetic, enthusiastically running hither and yon, yelling in their loudest voices. We would never want to discourage that. And…all jammers would like to welcome kids into the jam as grinners, or pickers, for that matter, if they play, or are learning to play.

But, by their energy, their enthusiasm, by their possible lack of knowledge of jam etiquette, they do have the potential to obstruct the goal of jamming—so grinners and pickers alike are asked to recognize the potential affect of their children on jams and let the kids know how to be a helpful participants.

Some internet resources

Here are some links to other sites on the internet that provide discussions of jam etiquette:

Jam Etiquette - author unknown
Jam Etiquette - author unknown
Jam Etiquette by Edward I. Pollak
Jam Etiquette by Martha Haehl
Jam Session Etiquette by Vivian T. Williams
Jamming Etiquette by Doug Cox
Introduction to bluegrass jamming by Tom Barnwell
Ten Commandments of Jamming - author unknown, includes some suggestions by Pete Wernick
What IS a "Jammer"? by Dave Sawyer

All content herein © Southwest Bluegrass Association 2008 all rights reserved
grass Association 2007 all rights reserved

All content herein © Southwest Bluegrass Association 2007 all rights reserved

I Thou shalt not come to the jam to impresseth others with thine own talent for this is an abomination. The music shall be the star around which all musicians rotateth and not viceth-verseth! Attempts to make thine own star shine, shall surely lead thee into darkness!

II Thou shalt not forsake the beat. Thou shalt not speed up nor slow down accidentally when playing a tune for this shall be considered an abomination.

III Thou shalt arrange thyself in a small circle so that thou mayest see and mayest hear all the other musicians. Thou shalt listen with thine ears to the songs and shall attempt to play in one accord with the group. Also, thou shalt lift up thine eyes to look about thee, lest there be some visual sign that someone endeavoureth to render unto thee.

IV Thou shalt play softly when someone lifteth his voice in song, when the guitar taketh a break, and when thou knowest not what thou art doing.

V Thou shalt play in tune! Tune thine instrument well and tune it often with thine electric tuner lest the sound that emanateth from thine instrument be unclean!

VI Thou shalt commence and cease playing each tune as one, so that the noise you make be a joyful noise and is not an abomination. Whensoever a musician sticketh forth his foot, as though he were afflicted with a cramp in the fatted calf, thou must complete the rest of that verse and then cease. Thou shalt stick out thine own foot or else lift up thy voice, crying, “This is it!” or “Last time!” if thou hast been the one to begin the song and it hath been played sufficient times over. If the one who beginneth a tune, endeth it not by one of these signs, then the music goeth on in repetitious fashion until the listeners shall say, “Hark, it all soundeth the same!”

VII Thou shalt concentrate and shalt not confound the music by mixing up the “A” part with the “B” part. Most songs, but not all, proceedeth by the ancient law: “AABB”. But, if thou sinneth in this regard or make any mistake that is unclean, thou mayest atone not by stopping, nay, but by reentering the song at the proper place and playing on. Thy fellow musicians will support thee in this regard.

VIII Thou shalt be ever mindful of the key that the banjo is tuned in, and shall play many tunes in that key, for the banjo is but a lowly instrument and must needfully be retuned every time there is a key change.

IX Thou shalt speak gentle words of encouragement to those nourished on the milk of bluegrass music, but not the meat, lest a harsh word turn one again to the darkness that is pop music.

X Thou shalt not, by thyself, commence noodling off on a tune that the other musicians knoweth not, unless asked or unless thou art teaching that tune for this is an abomination, and the other musicians shall not hold thee blameless, and shall strike thee from their computer lists, yea, unto the third and fourth generation.

ny timesTwelve top bluegrassish bands from New York and beyond will fight it out for the chance to perform at the 2011 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco.

The panel will be: Dawn Holliday of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, Norm Parenteau of Slipshod Management representing one of the biggest acts in Americana music, Old Crow Medicine Show and Andrew Colvin of Ground Control Touring who books acts like Bright Eyes, She & Him, and Cat Power.

The twelve competing bands are: The Defibulators, The 2nd Avenue Mountain Boys, Bobtown, McMule, The Young Spokes, Gangstagrass, The Dive Bar Dukes, Alex Battles & Whiskey Rebellion, The Gold Top County Ramblers, Do it to Julia, Frankenpine, and the Michaela Anne Band. In addition to the bands, a whole gaggle of New Yorker cartoonists will be on stage providing comic interludes.

Get advance tickets at www.theatre80.net for $16.50 (Note that all seats are general admission) or call 212-388-0388 and reserve them for $15

Self Promotional Plug: my band USPS has our debut E.P. Due out this summer on Free Energy Media

The Five Deadly Venoms, Birdhive Boys, Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Rockwood Stage 2 Sunday Feb 20 10:30pm

2011-02-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

This is the most technically virtuosic bluegrass band in NYC, if you haven't had a chance to see the, run and see them ASAP!

Minneapolis-Based Quartet Proves There's Strength in Numbers With Four Bass Drum Rhythm Section

2011-02-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

The 4onthefloor, a Minneapolis-based quartet that infuses Delta Blues, Americana and a healthy helping of classic rock, will release their debut full-length, 4x4, on vinyl April 4, 2011. The 16 track LP will be available on iTunes next Tuesday, February 8th.

Having formed just a year ago, the band's heavy-handed (or should we say heavy-footed) rhythm section, paired with lead singer Gabriel Douglas' gritty, baritone vocals, makes the listener both nostalgic and ready to drink... or maybe even fight. 4x4 has a sense of urgency- coercing you to snap out of the doldrums life can throw at you and jump into the fire.

The 4onthefloor won't bore you with trying to explain how multi-genre and indefinable they are - they play rock music; they play blues music. So what makes The 4onthefloor so different, you ask? The four bass drums that are part of their rhythm section is a great place to start.

You can check out all 4 bass drums in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Ec2suBe-s

STREAMING SONGS HERE:

http://www.offcentralpr.com/Bricklayer.mp3

Beat of My Strut, Kaycemans new project

2011-02-14T09:59:00.001-08:00

Beat of my Strut is a blog which former Jambase.com editor Aaron Kayce contributes to, they recently did an interview with me on my upcoming show and I got to talk about my favorite subject... Me. Thanks to everyone to the community for helping make it a great show.

Lincoln Center

2011-02-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

How do you get to Lincoln Center? practice practice practice, and play in a band with someone in the orchestra.

Freddies Bar Reopens in South Slope

2011-02-04T10:23:00.001-08:00

one of my favorite bars we used to play Freddies has reopened in south slope...

SOUTH PARK SLOPE One of the most inspirational stories to come out of the Atlantic Yards saga is that of Freddy’s, the little dive bar that could (with a little compromise). When the Prospect Heights bar found itself smack in the middle of the Barclays Center footprint, it fought long and hard against the project for years, even installing “chains of justice” so barflies could chain themselves to the bar when bulldozers arrived. Ultimately, the chains weren’t necessary–in April 2010, the bar owners eventually came to an agreement with the developers so they’d be able to keep the bar’s contents for an eventual move, and Freddy’s closed for several months. On Friday, Freddy’s is finally reopening at the old Ellis Bar space, at 627 5th Ave, between 17th and 18th Streets. Now owned by former managers and bartenders, and built with the help of staff and regulars, the new space maintains the flavor of the old Freddy’s (including the bar with the “chains of justice”), but also features some snazzy upgrades, including a kitchen serving pub food. To mark the rebirth of Freddy’s, the bar is having a party starting at 5pm and going all night, featuring Brooklyn’s own faux-Frenchies Les Sans Culottes performing at midnight; expect other musical guests, a painting exhibition by New York artist Nancy Drew, and much celebration.

via brooklyn based

Deepak Wellbeing

2011-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Spiritual Guru mogul extraordinaire, I mean people REALLY like his tapes. He is starting a new media arm of his brand based in Rhinebeck New York, same place that spiritual complex Omega institute is based in. The goals of the company seem worthy, and there really is nothing too evil about the whole operation. They are seeking out media types and the ubiquitous "web savvy" individual, meaning a millennial with basic web skills, and ability to point and click. Interesting to see how this company does against competitors like Dr. Weil. As of the time of this writing Deepackwellbeing.com is still parked by Godaddy.

	Internet/Online/New Media
Salary	Hourly
Job Duration	Part Time
Job Location	Rhinebeck, NY USA
Job Requirements	We are looking for a spirited assistant editor to work in a fast-moving environment focused on blogs, newsletters, and social media. The topic area is well-being and is anchored in the work of a celebrity MD. A three-day-a-week part-time position to start, this job may become fulltime and has long term potential. The editor will telecommute most of the time, with frequent in-person meetings. Responsibilities will include: --Aggregation of content and producing it; --Writing blogs; --Editing, including copy-editing; --Organizing editorial features; --Helping to develop editorial partnerships; --Producing newsletters along with editor; --Handling the social media for the site (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn); and --Creating interesting editorial calendars. Requirements: Internet and computer savvy expertise a must, technical aptitude so as to quickly learn the site's CMS and random software, skills in Photoshop and Excel a plus, social media experience, very well organized, initiator, self-disciplined, creative, independent thinker, and having a degree in English or journalism preferred.
About Our Company	A vibrant startup with Deepak Chopra and other thought leaders in the well-being space, the company is small and fast moving requiring all-out creativity and an altruistic vision. DeepakWellbeing aims to pollinate the web with inspiration and strategies for well-being as well as be a place where anybody can join and become involved.

Heylady @ Arleans Grocery

2011-01-25T03:32:00.000-08:00

Heylady is a very tight funk band coming upin NYC's funk revival, they have a show coming up at Arleans Grocery where they always turn the place out. Below is a cute little track featuring the lead vocalist of the band Nina Zeitlan, as well as their EP from Bandcamp.

Time	Friday, January 28 · 9:30pm - 11:30pm

Location	Arlene's Grocery 95 Stanton Street New York, NY

Boy Like You (feat Nina Zeitlin) by Biboulakis aka Bibz

Soul 2 Soul II Soulive Maceo Parker Dr John The London Souls Brooklyn Bowl NYC 1-19-11

2011-01-22T02:50:00.001-08:00

Blues Writer App A Song Writing iPhone App

2011-01-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

Blues Writer, is a new music iPhone app available in the iTunes store, it has a notepad, backing tracks, rhyming dictionary and recorder. While the blues is the foundation for much of contemporary rock, Blues Writer can help a wide variety of artists get the creative juices flowing. There are some interesting artists who are recording tracks for the app at the time of this posting. This could expand the interest beyond the scope of just blues lovers. The app is quickly catching on among touring musicians who find the rhyming dictionary useful to have on the road.

Sony, Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi sued for piracy

2011-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

With a simple twist of fate the tables are turned. Sony, Warner Music, EMI, and a unit of Vivendi SA, the company behind Universal Music Group have been sued for infringing works of thousands of artists.

The complaint accused online services, Musicnet and Pressplay which were founded in 2001 started in 2001.

Pof recorded music leads to loss in revenue and profits, thereby, affecting the country's economy as a whole.

A study conducted by the Institute of Policy Innovation (IPI) states that recorded music piracy costs American workers significant losses in jobs and earnings, and government substantial lost tax revenue.

As per the analysis by IPI, music infringement has the following consequences:

As a consequence of global and U.S.-based piracy of sound recordings, the U.S. economy loses $12.5 billion in total output annually.
As a result of sound recording piracy, the U.S. economy loses 71,060 jobs. Of this amount, 26,860 jobs would have been added in the sound recording industry or in downstream retail industries, while 44,200 jobs would have been added in other U.S. industries.
Because of sound recording piracy, U.S. workers lose $2.7 billion in earnings annually. Of this total, $1.1 billion would have been earned by workers in the sound recording industry or in downstream retail industries while $1.6 billion would have been earned by workers in other U.S. industries.
As a consequence of piracy, U.S. federal, state and local governments lose a minimum of $422 million in tax revenues annually. Of this amount, $291 million represents lost personal income taxes while $131 million is lost corporate income and production taxes.

The situation becomes all the more worse when major labels like Sony and Warner Music take part in the process. Over the years, record companies have used tracks from musicians who have not signed with them. While their tracks are kept on a "pending list", the music labels have profited immensely from them without having to pay the artists any royalties.

Biggie Smalls Case Opened with New Evidence

2011-01-11T01:44:00.001-08:00

After nearly 14 years since the death of rap legend Notorious B.I.G., CNN reports that Biggie's murder investigation has been reopened due to new information. The details of the new leads have not been made public at this time.

A team made up of members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and the FBI are working together on the case.

Some believe that Biggie’s murder was an act of revenge after the death of rap rival Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down in the Las Vegas area in September 1996. Biggie was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. Tupac’s case has not been solved either.

Former LAPD detective Russell Poole was heavily involved in the original Biggie murder investigation, although he retired after becoming increasingly frustrated about the case. Poole speculated that former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight had a part in arranging Biggie’s murder with the help of off-duty police officers.

Poole spoke to CNN saying, “I think I was getting too close to the truth… I think they feared the truth would be a scandal.”

Poole helped Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mother, file a wrongful death lawsuit against the LAPD in 2005. The lawsuit claimed that the LAPD failed to charge the suspects in the murder case, David Mack and Amir Muhammad, despite having sufficient evident to make the arrests. According to MTV News, Mack was released from prison for an unrelated crime on May 21, 2010.

Phish, Umphrey's Furthur, WSP New Years Run SBD's

2011-01-02T19:20:00.002-08:00

Jesus wants you to enjoy jambands, and these.

Umphrey's Mcgee

http://hotfile.com/list/1224550/355210b
Furthur:

http://hotfile.com/list/1224545/abfd673

Phish:

http://hotfile.com/list/1204277/a963643

Widespread Panic:

http://hotfile.com/list/1224547/37a2367

Some Cat From Japan at Sullivan Hall with Will Bernard, Nigel Hall, Scott Metzger, Ron Johnson & Eric Bolivar 12-29-10

2011-01-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Bowlive 2

2010-12-26T14:15:00.000-08:00

Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall and Neil Evans (Soulive) return to Brooklyn Bowl for a two week residency From March 1-5 & 8-12, with the most renowned organ trio and a host of their friends. The veteran jamband pioneer's residency at Brooklyn Bowl (aptly dubbed “Bowlive”) is set for another ten evenings of RAGE. There will be special guests every night (last year’s Bowlive saw appearances by Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Questlove, Rahzel, Talib Kweli, Robert Randolph, Marco Benevento, Oteil & Kofi Burbridge).

Art Basel, CMJ 2011,Moksha Family Reunion

2010-12-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Art Basil Miami: There was a cool LED floor, that responded when you walked on it.

CMJ 2011: USPS played the Deli Showcase!

Moksha Family Reunion: an interesting concert in Miami. The artsy district is Winwood, a bunch of artist studios/warehouses, looking similar to Williamsburg but louder, and you can drink on the street. Steve Kimmock, Roosevelt Collier from the Lee Boys and a bunch of other musical and visual artists were there. Alex Grey did not show up. Reminded me of many other Florida festivals but was in the heart of Miami. Miami is like a circus but with much more money.

The Bastard Lovechild of Rock n' Roll - Bim Bom EP

2010-11-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Bastard Lovechild of Rock n' Roll spawned from the sass of divas past and the acid trips of rock n' roll ghosts. This Florida duo of Cookie Sugarhips (vocals,guitars, keys) and Hot Damm Sweet Huckleberry Winn (percussionist, blues harp, keys) combine rock n' roll booty bumpers and psychedelic dance beats with a sense of grit and beauty.

The Bim Bom EP is BLORR's first creation. Released themselves as a thematic project entailing a love affair between Cookie Sugarhips and his fictional muse Delisa, it's all tied together by atmospheric songs and bossa nova interludes to create a lucid dream for willing listeners.

NYC Dates:

Cameo in Brooklyn - Dec 4th
Trash Bar in Brooklyn - Dec 15th
Arlene's Grocery - Dec 22nd

download the album here soundcloud.com/bastard-lovechild.

Fun with Firebug

2010-11-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

read this carefully and you may learn something fun

Using Firebug to better understand the web- click on images for full size.
Firebug is a plugin for Firefox that has revolutionized web development. For many it has come to replace the Web Developer plugin for Firefox. Someone who works in internet advertising/media or web development should understand how webpages work. This intro to Firebug will cover some basic and interesting features of the tool. There seems to be too much emphasis on link building plots and SEO gimmicks that make a website into a house of cards. Nothing beats good site design and understanding of the web.

Design with CSS and HTML

Click the inspect element button and hover over the CSS box model or element, when the element is active a blue border will surround it. While the inspect element button is depressed wherever you mouseover on the page will be shown in the code in the firebug window . Now look at the style tab on the right side of the console. You can edit the CSS by clicking on the style rules, there is an autocomplete feature similar to Dreamweaver, you can cycle through the variouse autocomplete suggestions by pressing tab. This is for editing existing style rules on the page. The change appears instantly. Creating a new style rule is a little less intuitive and feature rich. You have to first click on the CSS tab, then click the “edit” button. The css will now be editable similar to a simple text editor, without the autocomplete feature.

At the top of the Firebug window you will see the CSS heierachy, you can mouse over this to drill down to your specific element and have a visual of how your box models and div wrappers fit together.

Creating Mockups

Firebug can be used with Dreamweaver and Photoshop in the design and layout of your page, pages can initialy be coded in Dreamweaver then tested and fine tuned in Firebug, so you can edit on the fly, with instant previews in your browser. It can also be used to gather inspiration from other websites, by exploring their design.
Quick Custom Templates
A) Find a template layout that you like.
B) Replace the images to this template with your own images that you create in Photoshop,
C) Change the HTML and CSS in Firebug untill you get your exact look, start with editing color values and your layout with relative positioning and floated divs.
D) Return to step B untill fine tuned

Network Load: Yslow and Net Tab

Yslow is a plugin developed by Yahoo for Firebug, the plugin analyzes your site for 34 best practices (as decided by Yahoo) divided into 7 categories; the page is then given a grade from A to F. A website should load fast for both users and search engines and this plugin helps you optimize your page for speed. YSlow is a combination of a DOM tree crawler and a packet sniffer. The DOM tree contains all the elements that might make up a web page. YSlow has a built-in DOM crawler and also pulls data from the NET panel to monitor different network requests.

Running YSlow.

Go to the YSlow tab and click run test, you do not want Yslow to automatically run whenever a page opens because it is memory hog and can cause the browser to freeze Do not run it on more than one site at once and restart your browser after running a test, or your browser may end up running at 1,000,000 K. Once your site is graded you can click to for an explanation and solution on speeding up your site. You can also monitor your network load in detail with the network tab; here you see all the GET and POST requests and the HTTP status code for each one. You can also see the size of each request, how long each request took to load and the order in which they were processed. You can expand each request for a detailed look at each individual header. To see the total network usage from one content type you can sort the files by, CSS, Javascript, XHR, Images and Flash. By sorting you can tell if it is one kind of file that is causing problems. Another interactive features include being able to mouse over the status code and if the request is for an image you will see the image pop up.

Pen Testing

Firebug is a good program for pen testing. Here is a website for a television station that will only show you the content if you are from a specific country. Client side validation should only be used for end user convenience such as making fields required on forms. Sadly many programmers use client side validation for much more. Here is a way you can find if your javascript programmer slacked off rather then using server side validation with Ajax and post requests. If you insist on using client side validation, obscuring the code to make it hard to understand adds at least some layer of protection. Other client side issues inlcude using “display:none” to hide elements which simply be set to display:visible in firebug. Another Firefox plugin used in pen testing from a the POST/REQUEST angle is Tamper Data.

Here is another example of bad client side validation. This site forces you to give up your email to view the content. This give uses the Built in javascript command line. Any javascript entered into the command line will run on the page, since javascript is weekly typed and runs one at a time, whatever you type will overright any previouse rules. This is a great way to debug your javascript. you can also game sphinn like this, the crappy SEO site where spammers hang out and stroke each others ego's. another site where you can do this is Twibbs.com, the twitter directory. get yourself on the home page!

U-Melt's Final Show Friday at Highline Ballroom

2010-11-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

A Note from the Band:

Over the last seven years U-Melt has enjoyed all the unique experiences of being a touring rock band. We have criss-crossed the country, released three albums, and built a family of amazing friends and fans throughout the US. Recently we have found ourselves struggling through the economic downturn along with the rest of the country. After much discussion we have decided that it is time to close this chapter of U-Melt. Without naming everyone, we want to thank the numerous agents, promoters, managers, artists, friends, and family that made this trip possible. On Friday November 26th, U-Melt will return to New York City for our farewell show at the amazing Highline Ballroom.

As for the future, we will all be spending time exploring new sonic spaces, seeking out fresh musical territory, pushing ourselves into new directions, and as always, striving to make the best music we can possibly make. In the upcoming weeks, we will be announcing some new projects and collaborations which we are all very excited about, so please stay tuned... this journey is far from over. Thanks again to all of the fans who joined us for this incredible adventure, we love you all.

Friday night's farewell show will be an all night event at the Highline Ballroom. Other acts playing that night include the indie-jam buzz band The Heavy Pets, acoustic grunge rock act Fever Train, funk rockers Haakon's Fault, and DJ Higher Nebulae spinning in between sets.

Tickets & Info Available at: http://tinyurl.com/23z3fu2

Thoughts on Bear Creek with The Macpodz Ross Huff

2010-11-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Ross Huff trumpet player for the Macpodz sends some thoughts on one of the most unique festivals of the year...

Photos by Rich Kujawa and Clint Bliss

Roosevelt Collier of the Lee Boys sat in with the Macpodz on Saturday evening, playing his unique portable steel guitar, which was pretty righteous. He is an outgoing guy and a really fine player. I heard him play with some other groups too. Snarky Puppy for one. Excellent band & songs. It was great to jam with Roosevelt.

The Macpodz played a newish tune called "Spread Love," on Friday afternoon. The guys snagged the lyrics from a former Ann Arbor band called Funktelligence, but put a different beat on it. I thought that went well. The alteration is cool: I like playing in 9/4, and it's also in A flat myxolidian, and I think that's kind of a funky sounding key, which lays well on the trumpet. I like taking the breaks in 9/4, it has that extra beat which makes it just a little different, and there are a couple of places where I get to do shake rolls on the tambourine. if you've never done a shake roll on the tambourine with a soul band, I recommend it, because it's more fun than oysters & white wine, chicken & beer, or any other food and drink combo. burgers and shakes.

Friday noon hour, We played Rock Em Sock Em Robots, which is an excellent riff, Brennan wrote that riff years ago, on an acoustic guitar, and I love playing it.
I have a new pedal and I can put a phaser and all kinds of other shit on my trumpet sound, so it's fun to jam some ambient kind of tones as background for the keyboard leads.

We did a mash up of cover tunes that was pretty fun on Saturday night, "School Days" by Stanley Clarke > "Runaway Child" by Buddy Miles, back > "School Days". Both tunes are in A and make kind of a slick segue, and are pretty hype tunes. Pretty hype? Those tunes are the bible of hype, we are lucky boys to still be alive after attempting stunts like that. Nasty business!

I always love hearing Garage Mahal. Fantastic musicianship. Another one of the Macpodz favorite bands, Snarky Puppy, gave a great performance. I cried a little bit (in the good way) listening to Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis sit in with Bernie Worrell (of P Funk). They didn't have the horn players high enough in the mix, so I had to get right up front and cup my ears. It was hard to hear the keys, too and Worrell was the bandleader. The other musicians were playing too loud. Wesley & Ellis were just preaching the truth. It was hard to hear it through all the noise. I don't know why they just didn't have those guys alone in a room, playing the horns. You didn't need any of that other stuff. Just the trombone and sax. I went backstage afterward and drunkenly thanked them for everything they'd done, (I meant as musicians, in life,) and then they were whisked away in a Lexus (Wesley) and a Caddy (Ellis). They were just up there telling the truth about everything and no one could hear a note of it because the guitar player was playing like he was the hair on God's balls. It's just my personal beef as a horn player, when the guitar players, with electricity as a sidekick, play louder than everyone else. I'm a little bit of a reactionary when it comes to electricity in music. For instance, I thought that one of the best sets of the weekend was from Rebirth Brass Band, and they don't need any electricity at all to turn out the party. For the purposes of excess, the producers had the engineers throw up a few microphones on the stage, but the funk was present even without the stage amplification. They never mic that ride cymbal that the man plays with a screwdriver, and you can hear that shit 200, 300 yards away. I feel bad for his left ear, I bet he can't hear that frequency anymore. On the other hand, I have a guitar pedal to process the trumpet sound, which creates its own electrical issues, but helps a lot to keep up with the volume output of instruments that utilize electricity.

I don't mean to complain, but one of the other festival highlights was that 3 out of 5 (electric) guitar players were playing too loud. I used to think that louder was better, but I think I've been around loud things for too long, and I'm starting to be more interested in more dynamics. You can develop PTSD from being around too much loud shit, you know.

Guitars: Psych folk from Brooklyn

2010-11-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

This band looks decent so they deserve a post. Though just about everything is called psychedelic or folk these days these guys sound pretty unique. Guitars is a psychedelic country / folk band from Brooklyn. Their debut album is called Soundtrack To Your Future Nostalgia. Think raspy vocals, shambling beats, country churches and Himalayan peaks. Think She and Him with a lot more balls. Perfect for fans of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, xx, Belle and Sebastian.

Guitars also curate the Sonic Medicine Wheel Ceremony Show Series at the Numu Loft in Bushwick.

More at http://guitarstheband.tumblr.com/

Matt Dickey-Try This at Home

2010-11-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this review on the infamous "Jambands" website, Matt Dickeys sick new jazz album Try This at Home, featuring Breakscience and just about every other NYC Jazz Great.

Game theory and Hipsters

2010-11-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

This post from arstechnica explains why when people come to NYC not really knowing anyone or they are from Middle america that they adopt the trendiest fashion. Basically it explains that people with access to less cultural options adopt the hottest trends the fastest. It also explains why middle America is ruled by top 40 radio and now...Pitchfork.

When they played around with the structure of the network operating on these rules, they found nodes with local connections, as opposed to the long-range ones that facilitate epidemics, spread innovations more quickly. Nodes that weren't as tightly integrated to the network and maintained fewer connections let change spread more quickly, while nodes with lots of connections actually slowed the spread down.

The Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band

2010-11-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band is an actual family from Brooklyn, consisting of a mother, father, and daughter, and they seem to be functioning just fine. Their latest release, "Come Over" has a lot of nice harmonies and a very relaxed vibe to it, resulting in what they call "Americana-Jazz". They play frequently around town so check out their website- http://www.dfjbmusic.com/ to read about them living on a commune for 10 years and find out when to catch a show.

Feedback Podcast

2010-11-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is the Podcast from Zack Dinnerstein, the dude who books shows at one of my favorite venues in Williamburg, Spike Hill

The newest episode of Feedback is available for download! Our latest podcast follows Reggie Watts as he performs at Le Poisson Rouge.A comedic alchemist, Reggie's mix of techno breaks and surreal asides grants a quick peak into his world -- one where lunacy fist-bumps with reason.Plucked by Conan O'Brien to fill the opening slot on his 2010 national tour, Reggie's live shows hopscotch between absurd hip-hop, frenetic beat-boxing and campy balladeering.Straining pop-culture through his resin-tinted subconscious, Watts is pioneering a truly new genre of performance, smashing the barriers between musical genres and comedy like a wrecking ball with a perm.Come along now on a journey through time and space... you'll be glad you did.

Picture Atlantic

2010-11-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

Set to drop in early December, When Everything is Numbers is the fourth studio release from Picture Atlantic, a California, Bay Area indie Rock group. A poppy, yet eclectic mix of steady-movers and rock numbers, the album drives from one sound to the next. Following in the wake of a more acoustic release, this album leans towards a full on rock production. With many different styles and influences, each instrument stands its ground with a unique style, whilst interweaving to make a vast and cohesive sound.

When Everything is Numbers is for fans of The Strokes, Radiohead,Blur and The Killers. With gloomy lyrics and melodies, glossed by upbeat and hooky riffs, When Everything is Numbers is for those who want a salad of sounds.

Link to "With One Clipped Wing" MP3 - https://hec.box.net/shared/qfzp9n1ekv
www.pictureatlantic.com
www.facebook.com/pictureatlantic

Jesse Abraham Yoga

2010-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

The beats are a little inconsistent, but the production is clean, and the cameos (Premonition and Albert Rhymestein) are killer.

Halloween Weekend at Sullivan Hall

2010-10-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Whether you want to groove, dance, or just get weird, Sullivan Hall has something for everyone this Halloween weekend.

Friday night will get you in the mood to groove with Telepath, the Macpodz, Mr. Breakdown & more. Self professed party bands and masters of funky jams, Mr. Breakdown and The Macpodz are the perfect matchup to get your Halloween weekend started. On your feet is where you’ll stay, as Telepath’s unique take on world-influenced live electronic music is sure to keep the party moving all night long.

You can keep those dancing shoes on for the Jimkata, Papadosio, and DVS late show on Saturday. DJ and guitarist DVS will set ghouls in motion with his combination of deep analog beats, vintage soul melodies, and modern guitar. Papadosio will move the vibe into an electronic jam frenzy, perfectly setting the stage for a zombie dance off with Jimkata, whose combination of raw guitar power and industrial blasts of synthesizers and drum machines is set to keep the party raging well past the witching hour.

Topping off the weekend will be Sun Ra Arkestra’s Halloween spectacle, directed by Marshall Allen. Keeping the avant-garde jazz fusion legacy alive, the Arkestra and Allen are sure to channel the ghost of Sun Ra himself. A magnificent spectacle not to be missed!

Tickets for all shows are available at http://www.sullivanhallnyc.com.

*Telepath, The Macpodz, Mr. Breakdown is on October 29 at 7:30

** Jimkata, Papadosio, & DVS is on October 30 at 10:30 pm.

*** Sun Ra Arkestra is on October 31 at 7:30.

Deli Brooklyn Bowl Showcase Relix Keith Richards Cover Party

2010-10-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

First I went to the Keith thing in Manhattan and shared some issues of the Deli with People, then I went to BBowl which is owned by Peter S. of Relix for CMJ Showcase, which rocked by the way.

CMJ VS. Pitchfork

2010-10-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

Well, that's one way to let CMJ know what you think of it, if you are the vast music recommendation website Pitchfork--by having a multi-day, 30-plus band festival in the middle of Williamsburg during the marathon's prime three nights. They're calling it #Offline, paradoxical hashtag and all; dates are set for October 21-23 at Brooklyn Bowl. The line-up skews a little Altered Zones (Sun Airway, Diamond Rings, Lower Dens), a little Jersey (Beach Fossils, Andrew Cedermark), and a lot, uh, Pitchfork (Freddie Gibbs! Marnie Stern! Avey Tare!), right down to the swagger that led the site to hold off on the announcement of their own gigantic shindig until it was only a week away. SOTC favorites A-Trak and How To Dress Well will be there, too; here's the full, three-day line-up:

Thursday, October 21
Dave Sitek/Maximum Balloon (DJ set)
Times New Viking
Gold Panda
Dom
Beach Fossils
Wild Nothing
Small Black
Lower Dens
Dominique Young Unique
Dent May
Keepaway
+ More TBA

Friday, October 22
Avey Tare (DJ set)
Zola Jesus
Marnie Stern
How to Dress Well
Deradoorian
Glasser
Baths
Tanlines
Candy Claws
Andrew Cedermark
Sun Airway
Cloud Nothings
Big Troubles
+ More TBA

Saturday, October 23
Fool's Gold Three Year Anniversary Presented by Scion (Ft. A-Trak, Treasure Fingers, Donnis, CyHi Da Prynce, the Suzan, Kingdom, Araabmuzik)
Matthew Dear
Freddie Gibbs
Active Child
Javelin
Ty Segall
Diamond Rings
Cults
Highlife
Lord Huron
+ More TBA

Tickets are a quite reasonable $10 per day, and available now; there is an ominous silence radiating from the Pitchfork announcement as to whether a CMJ badge will do anything for you here, which suggests it won't. We're checking on that part now (early word from both camps says there is no partnership whatsoever); if that is in fact the case, then Pitchfork just declared war. Which would be interesting.

Go! Team New Album

2010-10-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Go! Team New Album and Single

Ian Parton, founder of the band Go! Team was not only one of the first artists to use an exclamation point in his band’s name, he was also an innovator in the use of sampling and certain, cross genre pollination. The Go! Team’s new album Rolling Blackouts, their follow up to 2007’s Proof of Youth, is slated for release January 31 from Memphis Industries.

The first tack off the album "T.O.R.A.N.A.D.O." has been released and is sure to annoy bloggers everywhere with the time it consumes to type out. As in most Go! Team songs "T.O.R.A.N.A.D.O." features the rapper Ninja, who raps over the track furiously with her signature double dutch rhyming style. The song does not venture too far from the bands previous work, and the beat sounds similar to what RJD2 was doing before he fell out of fashion. According to Ian Parton’s interview with Pitfork the song was created utilizing a community brass band of 20 players that Parton has been working with.

The Album features guest spots from Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. Matsuzak is featured on "Secretary Song", which utilizes office sound effects such as typing and phones. The album as a whole utilizes a wide array of samples and also features an African gospel choir, who Patton spent the day recording.

Blondes, Passions and More Play XlR8R CMJ Showcase

2010-10-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

For our bit of involvement in this year's CMJ festivities, we've joined forces with our friends at magazine-cum-record label The Pop Manifesto for an underground house party of (relatively) epic proportions. After you RSVP for the event on Saturday, October 23, and score the location deets, you'll be greeted at the super-secret, super-cool showcase by DJ sets from some of Brooklyn's finest, including Lemonade,How to Dress Well, the witchy Lauren Flax, Passions, Typical Girls, andTURRBOTAX®/XLR8R compatriot Rem Koolhaus. The Pop Manifesto House Party will also feature live performances from the likes of Laurel Halo, the up-and-comingMagick Mountain, and DIY acid-house duo Blondes (pictured above), and apparently, there will also be "secret special guests" at some point. Sounds like a pretty solid Saturday night to us. You can check out the flier for the party below.

Some Heavy Pets Pictures From Sullivan Hall 09/11/10 Enjoy

2010-10-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

Bustle Brooklyn Bowl

2010-10-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to Brooklyn Bowl a few times now, and the most recent Bustle in You’re Hedgerow show was possibly the most packed I have seen the place so far; which was surprising because the band, seemingly, has limited pop appeal (though they did somehow play CMJ last year). Bustle in You’re Hedgerow partially consists of Brooklyn residents Marco Benevento and Joe Russo, a “duo” well known and loved in their hometown of NYC and there was a strong showing of local support. Bustle in You’re Hedgerow -- or Bustle, as true heads proclaim -- is an instrumental quintet that covers Led Zeppelin songs.This may seem like a trite idea, but one need only attend a show to see the originality and potential genius behind the idea. The fact alone that some of the best songs of all time are being played without Robert Plant hollering into the mic is reason enough to appreciate the concept. Bustle's rendition of “No Quarter” has an ominous opening solo with a degree of strangeness that only Benevento can pull off. The instrumental improvisation went into a temporary tease of “I Am the Walrus” as they gave homage to the late John Lennon, who’s birthday recently passed. Joe Russo kicked off “Over the Hills and Far Away” by standing up and singing the opening lines, following with a drumstick twirl, and then crashing into the first beats. This song and most of the others in the set had Benevento playing the vocal melody on the keys.

Read my full review at Relix.com

MIA at Brooklyn Bowl

2010-09-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

If you feel like getting trampled this is the place to BE

*Line may start forming at 7pm. No one may line up before 7pm.

Brooklyn Bowl

Wed, October 6, 2010
Doors: 9:30 PM / Show: 10:30 PM
FREE

Note: *Line may start forming at 7pm. No one may line up before 7pm.

Free

This event is 18 and Over

Math Head Ambient Tracks

2010-09-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

DJ Math-Head out of Brooklyn has come out with some new ambient tracks, his live side Project Passions was recently featured in Pitchforks Forkcast

PGroove Brooklyn Bowl

2010-09-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

words coming for LMB

Heavy Pets at Sullivan Hall next stop Brooklyn

2010-09-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

editors note: this band is kind of just hype.

The Heavy Pets have been touring up and down the east coast in support of their second full length album, a self titled follow up to their 2007 release Whale. The new songs bring back the classic, old school, improvisational rock sound while venturing beyond the jamband stigma. The Heavy Pets high energy and stage charisma attracts a new generation of live music lovers, helping them stand out as an ambassador of improvisational rock to the millennial generation.

The Pets went on late night around 12:00 am, and kicked things off with the bass heavy reggae tune “No More Time,” This was a great way to chill everyone out and ease into the night. The band followed with “Sigsmondi” and “3 am,” an anthemic rock song with touches of ska and reggae, the light show at Sullivan Hall was in full force, and the The Pets’ synchronized vocals were on point.

More at Relix.com

No More Time
Sigismondi
3:am
Keep the Policeman away **
Played again **
Tortugas
Dewpoint **
Jackie Bones **
Drenched
Help Me, Help You **

**With Michael Kammers

Zack Deputy at Rockwood

2010-09-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of Rockwood Music Hall, many bands featured in The Deli play there, and it is constantly home to some of the best bluegrass in NYC Zach Deputy has chosen NYC as the home to his CD release, with all the success acoustic music is having with hipsters here he wants in on the action, and he has the chops to make it happen. He has conquered the south but is yet to make big waves up here in the Northeast, This may change with his upcoming release Another Day (Eusonia Records, 2011), Zach Deputy demonstrates his extraordinary ability to perform and record in multiple contexts and conveys the sensibilities of a mature singer/songwriter. Another Day offers another look at Zach Deputy and seeks to help him cross over into other audiences. The record will appeal to fans of contemporary artists like Jack Johnson and Amos Lee, but the origins of the style and feel remain classic.

Sept 13 & 14, 2011

Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)

196 Allen St, New York, NY (United States)

Ages: 21+

Price: $10 adv/$15 door

Description: Two shows at 7:30pm and 9:30pm

Deputy will premier Another Day, with four (4) full band CD release shows at intimate Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on September 13 & 14. The shows will feature Matty, James and Jason from Ryan Montbleau Band and a few other stellar guests.

Kung Fu & Heylady SulivanHall

2010-09-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Kung Fu and Heylady at Sullivan Hall. They have an awesome laser lightshow at the venue now.

HeyLady and Kung Fu

2010-09-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Members of RAQ and The Breakfast are playing a show with the NYC funk band Heylady, tonight at Sullivan Hall.

Union Street Preservation Society @ Spike Hill + The Juvenals, Blueberry High Heels

2010-09-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

September 19th the Williamsburg showdown begins at Spike Hill! Bring some flowers and your positive beautiful selves.

CEG Presents: Rocks Off Concert Cruise: Yarn

2010-09-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

Yarn is a pretty good NYC bluegrass band.

When:Fri 9/10 (7PM)
Where: Rocks Off Concert Cruise - Boat Cruise Aboard The Half Moon
Address: EAST 23RD STREET & FDR DRIVE, Skyport Marina New York City, NY Map
Cost: $25

The Heavy Pets are Breaking Boundaries

2010-09-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

If you don’t already know about Florida based jam pop up-and-comers The Heavy Pets, you should. For the past four years they have taken part in the incessant touring and festival routing that is key to any jam band’s success, including regular stops at Bonnaroo, All Good, moe.down, and Langerado. They have even seen the blossoming of their own festival, PetZoo. Now in it’s third year, the festival was held in freehold, NJ with a stellar lineup that included Umelt, The Brew, John Brown’s Body, and Toubab Krewe.

Although being best know for their passionate live performances, the May release of their first self-titled full length studio album exemplifies their potential to cross over into the mainstream. The album beautifully fuses their jam rock roots of blues, jazz, funk, and reggae with pop melodies, danceable backbeats, and poignant lyrics.

The band will be coming through the Northeast this fall and will be here in New York City at Sullivan Hall next Thursday, September 11. They will be joined by roots rock jammers Dangermuffin and some other great openers, so come on out early for a full night of fun. Don’t miss the opportunity to say you saw this band before they blew up.

Tickets & Information

Mishka Grateful Death (Dead) T shirt

2010-08-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Our favorite scenester clothing line Mishka and sponsor of T&B and Passions, came out with a grateful dead T shirt. The End is Near.

Theiving Irons @Union Hall

2010-08-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

The steel pedal player looks just like a member of New Riders of the Purple Sage, thank god the Dead are once again Hip! Before everyone wanted to be indie, now people are so sick of that they are starting to rediscover the great music from the 60's once again and America's folk roots.

Nate Martinez, the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter-guitarist (formerly of buzz-band Pela), recently announced his new project Thieving Irons. The band’s first album, This Midnight Hum, will be released on Martinez’s own Seabird Recordings on August 24. The band will follow up the release with a tour of select U.S. cities in August and September, the first of which are listed below.

Martinez was intimately involved in every aspect of This Midnight Hum: as writer, performer, co-producer (with Mike Brown) and mixer (with Jim Smith at Saltlands Studio). He brought the tracks to life in collaboration with various friends and compatriots, including Bryan Devendorf of The National on drums, Dan Brantigan on trumpet, and Mike Brown on a variety of instruments. Martinez takes the reins on vocals and lead guitar as well as contributing many other instrumental parts. The compositions on the album have a distinctly American flavor that reveals the influence of classic troubadours like Tom Petty & Lindsay Buckingham.

This Midnight Hum is the first album by a member of Pela since the band’s demise. Pela were named Artists to Watch by Rolling Stone after the release of their full length, “Anytown Graffiti,” which made many critics’ Best of 2007 lists. The New York Times praised the album for “wide-open skies of bouncy, Pixiesesque basslines and sharp, sparkling guitars.”

THIEVING IRONS TOUR DATES
August 23 Washington, DC DC9
August 24 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
August 26 Boston, MA Middle East Upstairs
September 9 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle

The National Prospect Park /The Rock Shop Park Slope

2010-07-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

I went with my friend to go check out who I thought was the Black Keys at Prospect Park Bandshell, we listened to the music, it didn't sound like what I expected but sometimes I am so far removed from anything outside the jamband scene I figured it was them. Later on after some jamming I decided I wanted to check out this new venue in our neighborhood called The Rock Shop. I was really impressed with the place, there was a complete backline, amazing PA and soundboard, an upstairs and fancy deck. Definitely not the type of place you would expect from 4th avenue, but the neighborhood is up and coming so they say. The bar tender told us very excitedly that The National was upstairs hanging out. We thought little of it as neither me nor my friend had really heard much of their stuff. It wasn't untill an hour later I realized the band we were just listening to was this band chilling at the Rock Shop. The place is tons of fun, and the Black Keys play Summer Stage tomorrow.

Kula Williamsburg

2010-07-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Kula Yoga Project will be opening a studio in Williamsburg this September, The project is co-headed by Kula founder Schuyler Grant and one of Kula's most popular teacher's Nikki, who's classes can get very full and particularly sweaty. Nikki has a mythical presence and is known for her amazing adjustments.

all the info is on the facebook page

opening day party
9:30 Kula Hour w. Nikki
9:30 Kulakids (4-7yr olds) w. Kate
11 Kula Flow w. Jillian
12:30 Basics w. Katie
3 Kula Flow w. Steph
5 Kula Flow w. Erin D.
7 Tandem Love w. Schuyler and Nikki

partypartyparty from 6:30-10:30.

Eden & John's East River String Band NYC Folk

2010-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Came across this band, They have a great sound and captivating female lead, Similar to another great folk band I know... They also have a logo designed by R. Crumb!!!!

Jambase to stop reviewing shows

2010-07-11T18:09:00.001-07:00

"As many of you already know, our longtime Editor in Chief, Aaron Kayce, moved on from JamBase last month. Aaron has been a huge part of the JamBase team for the past 9 years and was instrumental in developing our editorial department. It was Aaron who first insisted that every story published include photos and has worked tirelessly to build up JamBase to be a reputable and legitimate source for daily live music content. He will surely be missed."

.........

"You'll also see that Show Reviews have been removed from the homepage. While we love your contributions and desire to review shows, we simply no longer have the internal resources capable of manually coordinating coverage, editing, producing and publishing submissions the same way we have in the past."

HeyLady opening for P-Funk

2010-07-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 15th at 5:45PM
Opening for George Clinton + The Parliament Funkadelic!
Stamford, CT - more info

Camp Bisco X Sells Out

2010-07-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Camp Bisco, the three-day music and arts festival founded by The Disco Biscuits, has confirmed that it has sold out on the opening day of the event. Festival goers that have already purchased 3-day passes, as well as all single day passes will still be allowed to attend. There will be no additional tickets or passes sold for 2011. Camp Bisco has shown positive growth in each of the 10 years it has been in existence.

Labor Day Yoga Retreat

2010-07-07T16:29:00.001-07:00

Here is a retreat my favorite teacher Michelle Barge, is leading.

Labor Day Weekend Yoga Retreat

September 3rd - 6th, 2010

@ the Standard Hotel Miami Beach

Celebrate the end of summer by consolidating the summer light and raise consciousness as me move towards the fall equinox. Join Pravassa along withParamatma Siri Sadhana, Joseph Amanbir Youngand Michelle Barge as we say good bye to one season and welcome the next.

You'll enjoy daily sunrise Sadhana, yoga classes, organic meals and the state-of-the-art spa!

Package includes:

- daily sunrise Sadhana

- 3+ yoga classes daily

- accommodations

- breakfast and lunch

- use of the Hamam, Steam room, Sauna and plunge pools

- discounts on spa services

Yoga Teacher Training with Beryl Bender Birch at Omega OR How to Become a Perfect Person in 7 Days

2010-07-06T07:05:00.001-07:00

I recently returned from The Omega institute for Holistic Studies from a week long yoga teacher training with Beryl Bender Birch. Omega was established in the early 70's and has grown to be the juggernaut of holistic institutions. The place is like Professor X's School for Gifted Youngsters, every person I met had some sort of superhuman ability, a reiki master, a shaman or intuitive healer I quickly felt at home with my artistic/musical abilities and yogic acrobatics.

I signed up for yoga teacher training with the blessing of Michelle Barge, my teacher from Golden Bridge. Me and Michelle both came from the corporate world and that made her the perfect teacher for me. I first took a class with Michelle at East West Yoga in Manhattan. I had decided to go there primarily because I thought it would be fun to practice around Alex Grey's artwork, which was currently being housed there as a temporary space for CoSM. This was my first class in 6 years and turned out to be the last at East West as the studio was shutting down that same week. I instantly new Michelle was who I wanted to train with and In less then a year she took me from a weak, un-athletic body with bad posture to an incredibly strong, agile and talented hatha yogi.

It is ironic then that yoga led me back to Alex Grey's artwork. I read about the visionary art workshop in the Omega catalog years ago and always wanted to go. I signed up for the BBB workshop spontaneously and it wasn't until Monday when I saw Alex and his strange entourage in the Omega cafeteria that I realized his workshop was overlapping with mine. I got to sit in on his class and saw the serious talent around me. Alex has been on a quest to build a chapel/retreat center called The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors or CoSM. He has been working on it for about ten years and I remember when he was just starting out, he would hold fund raisers and full moon parties at his Brooklyn apartment! The project has evolved into a tax free religion, the religion is centered on creativity. Looking around the room of artists it becomes apparent how art can give a sense of self worth and satisfaction which can provide a solid foundation of meaning in ones life. The arts also build community and open a person up to express something greater than themselves.

BBB's Workshop was more than I bargained for, we started the day with meditation at 6:30 then after lunch went into the asana (physical) part of the practice. The rest of the time was spent talking about philosophy and studying the Yoga Sutras. BBB is a scholar of the Hindu tradition and the analysis of the sutras and sanskrit language rivaled any of my 300 level non-western religion classes.

Though I came into the workshop with little knowledge of BBB, I read her best selling book “Power Yoga” and 'Beyond Power Yoga,” in the Ram Dass library while others were partying with Alex Grey at CoSM. I came to an understanding of the remarkable journey that BBB has been on, which had all led up to this moment I was sharing with her at the workshop. She was a pioneer in bringing intensive asana practices to the west. She made her name focusing heavily on the physical aspect of yoga and working with top athletes, teaching them how yoga can truly enhance peak performance. Beryl was a pioneer in the field of yoga, bringing in the more physically intensive form of ashtanga to America from her studies in India. People in the west were more receptive to this form of yoga as it was more tangible and physically intensive. The west being a very materialistic society astanga was a big step in paving the way for other more spiritual and subtle aspects of yoga.

The word yoga translates to “union” and encompasses much more than the physical postures people associate with it. Ashtanga yoga incorporates “8 limbs” of which only one is the physical asanas. The 8 limbs are; Yama - the five restraints, Niyama - the five observances, Asana - Steady posture, Pranayama - Control of prana or life force, Pratyahara - Withdrawal of the senses, Dharana - Concentration, Dhyana – Meditation and Samadhi - Super-conscious state. Beryl's class went deep into the complete science of yoga, studying the text yoga is based on “Yoga Sutras by Patanjali.” Sutras are simply doctrines passed down as an oral tradition between 500 and 200 b.c. and which were later written down and incorporated into Hindu literature.

BBB is the matriarch of the yoga tradition in the west. The class dug deeper into the more esoteric aspects of the practice, seeming to include the wisdom she has gained through her years of study. The class also contained a heavy dose of hippie doctrine. There were constant reminders of our current environmental and cultural crisis and extreme mindfulness was brought to everything we ate or threw away. Every detail of our movements were scrutinized and refined. This is the science of yoga and it was impossible to live 100% in this culture. When I asked Beryl what I could have ate when I was in Cape Cod, and there was no vegan food in sight she gave me the wise answer that “you do the best you can.” There is a tendency at Omega and with hippies in general to be hippie-crates, always preaching and complaining but not acknowledging their own indulgences. This was the fallacy of the 1960's counter-culture.

Finally the most meaningful aspect of the workshop was Beryl's Give Back Project, as service is becoming an increasing reality in my life. To get the full credit for the course we have to complete service projects., of which the possibilities are endless. When one sets off on a dedicated spiritual path the question of giving back becomes an inevitable, important aspect to one's life.

Summertime Speakeasy

2010-07-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

this looks like it has a chance of being fun, especially for those who want to get laid

on july 24th . . . enter a world of foot-stomping jazz and gut-bucket blues. listen to the sounds of old new orleans, early new york, chicago, and rural america - to the music that transported people of every race and class during the depression years. step into a time when juke joints and speakeasies were the only places to drink bootleg, hear great jazz, and dance the night away . . .

performers will be:
the amazing roulette sisters: tight harmonies, early blues, and swinging old time jazz
the sultry perle noire, performing her own brand of elegant southern striptease...
the hot sardines, fresh out of the can! liquor drinking dance music from the depression
and just to make it a little hotter, fire performance by donia love

roll up your sleves and join me for a rollicking evening of summertime scandal in your 1930's juke and gin joint garb. doors will open at 10pm as the first band begins, and performances will continue throughout the evening until 3:30am or later.

there will be southern food, iced tea, iced cold beer and prohibition era cocktails.
we'll have an upstairs (air conditioned) lounge.

in remembrance of the great depression (and the current one as well), tickets are
only $17 in advance, and $20 at the door. the party is 21+ only.

we will be selling tables if you want to make sure you get a seat for the show, though additional seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

for tables and advance tickets, go to shanghaimermaid.com

secret location

and please my darlings, no press, party lists, blogs, etc. this evening is by invitation
and word-of-mouth only. thank you!

i look forward to seeing all you beautiful revelers very soon,

xo juliette

p.s. as always, i am continuing to raise money to improve the space, the new upstairs lounge, the rooftop, and the garden too. any donation or investment, no matter how
small, is much appreciated! please click here if you are interested in helping.

webebooklets

2010-07-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I recently got ripped off by this site trying to order postcards for one of my bands concerts. it was supposed to be discount

WebePress is the premier website to find all your printing solutions. We offer a vast array of services ranging from online postcard design to brochure and catalog printing. Our first class equipment and cutting edge design tools make us the best place to shop when you need to get a great looking product to your audience in a timely fashion. We understand how important documents are to your business and that you might have to make last-minute changes, ship to multiple locations. Most of all, we know that your printed materials reflect you and absolutely have to be perfect in quality and delivered on time. Our simple online ordering process gives you complete control over how your documents are produced and delivered.

WebePress is the premier website to find all your printing solutions. We offer a vast array of services ranging from online postcard design to brochure and catalog printing. Our first class equipment and cutting edge design tools make us the best place to shop when you need to get a great looking product to your audience in a timely fashion. We understand how important documents are to your business and that you might have to make last-minute changes, ship to multiple locations. Most of all, we know that your printed materials reflect you and absolutely have to be perfect in quality and delivered on time. Our simple online ordering process gives you complete control over how your documents are produced and delivered.

WebePress takes pride in knowing that we offer optimum products at the ideal prices. Our mission is to give our customers the satisfaction of knowing that we care about what we do and will do anything to deliver quality service and products. We are equipped with the latest in online design software and the most powerful printers on the market not too mention the highest grade of paper the industry has to offer.

RisqueCards.com is the fastest, most economical and convenient way to print postcards without sacrificing quality. RisqueCards.com uses cutting edge printing technology and sophisticated printing presses that allow us to produce the high quality and cost effective products. This is the reason why business firms and individuals trust RisqueCards.com with their postcard printing projects.

RisqueCards.com allows customers to design postcards for events. A customer can use our image stock that we have on the website. They can also upload their own images. After they finish designing the card we then print out and send it to them.

We use a software that has been developed by the company named as “Quarterhouse Software” based in Texas. Quarterhouse host the websites and we use their software on the back end. The hosted website is designed by us and then used as a shell for the company’s software.

The printing is done on high quality paper and printers from digital to offset printers. We also do eco friendly printing.

july 4th country bluegrass BBQ @ national underground

2010-07-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

Come out and hear Brooklyn/NYC's best bluegrass and country bands, lots of free food and good looking and or friendly people. Be a part of the exciting bluegrass revolution that is taking place in NYC.

Summertime Soulshine Yoga Party @Brooklyn Urban Sanctuary

2010-06-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

For some reason electronic "DJ beats" have dominated the yoga movement in NYC, acousitic music and guitars should have their place too. Nevertheless this event look to me nothing short of fun. Though I will be up doing my yoga teacher training at Omega Institute.

Start Time:	Sunday, June 27, 2010 at 2:00pm
End Time:	Monday, June 28, 2010 at 12:00am
Location:	Brooklyn Urban Sanctuary

Seamlessly release the cold of winter and embrace in the radiant sunshine of summertime! Revitalize and nurture your body, fulfill your heart, and inspire your life!

This event brings 6 powerful workshops with live music by day.... followed by potluck dinner with flowy dj beats... alongside a community of kind hearts and bright minds!

YOGA means Union...
These workshops are designed to seamlessly unite you with your deepest truth :: the inner strength of your lovelight... And as we connect to our own strength, so we honor and rejoice in the divine of our fellow human beings!

**The day begins with a powerful Intention Circle led by Kiana Love (http://www.kakinihealth.com/)... Connecting with the earth and it's elements and fully embracing the transition into summertime.

**Next we learn the simple science of Neuro-Reflexology with Erek Tinker- how to locate and stimulate pressure points across all muscle groups and how to stretch adjacent complimentary muscles to repairing and rejuvenate the body. This is an understanding that is easy to learn, remember, and apply to your life as necessary.

**Then, in the open air, we fully awaken our life force and in a series of liberating ecstatic partner movement with Synergy-Dance, led by Aharata facilitator Fiona (on her last day in New York!!) (http://www.universynergyarts.org/)..

Then, to a beautiful background of Tabla, Sitar, and Didgeridoo...

**The sacred stretchy flow of Vinyasa Yoga led by Jewels (http://www.flamingjewel.com/)

**Followed by Super-fun Partner AcroYoga with Sandhi Ferriera (http://www.sandyoga.com/)!

**And to close our practice, we join together, to watch how the sun slowly sets in the open sky... we look upon our day in a peaceful, co-created space of light mediation, led by Helene Lovelight (http://www.helenefinizio.com/).

Food and Friends...
After a full, fun, enriching day, we celebrate with a loving Community Potluck and gentle DJ dance party... Bring a vegan dish to share if you can so we may snack, chat, and groove to the beats of DJ Ayo, Ali and Arman, and DJ Rheedoo (Omnitribe)!

Also, Amanda Silaski will be sharing her amazing aerial silk skills, with those who want to learn!!

This will be Sanctuary's last big event before we take off for the summer... And it going to be soo beautiful!

To thank you for an amazing season and make this experience easy for everyone to enjoy, the tickets for this full event will only be $22. You are welcome to purchase them online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/117073.

A few work-exchange scholarships are also available, please contact me directly to get involved.

I love you all and look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Peace, Truth and Love,
Ella

US Preservation Society @ Hanks Salloon Thursday

2010-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

USPS playing at Hanks Salloon this Thursday, It's the completely out of its time/geography looking building on Atlantic Avenue in downtown Brooklyn. Would love to see/meet some fellow bloggers, music people, yogis ETC.

Come out and hear Monkey and Deep Elem

Handblown Glass Guitar Slides

2010-06-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

2.5mm thick walls give extra sustain over regular guitar slides. Even class Coricidin bottle replicas. The heavier weight of the colored glass adds to the density and resonance as well. I think I'm on to something. made at urbanglass. You can hear this slide in action at our next upcoming concert or in the National Underground videos.

Kula Yoga NYC Wanderlust and Duncan Wong

2010-06-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

I have been going regularly to Kula in the financial district, searching for a powerful male teacher I think I have found one in Ariel Karass. I went from being the best in the class to the worst as I make the transition from Michelle Barges class at Golden Bridge. The founder of the studio Schuyler Grant is also a teacher at this year's Wanderlust Festival in California, which I will be covering for Jambase or Relix. The focus of this studio is somewhat acrobatic and there are few classes shorter than an hour and a half. The handstand is an imporant pose to this studio and after training there I am quickly getting closer and closer to this challanging pose. They have "highly ranked" Yogis stopping by such as Duncan Wong of Yogic Arts, (who will be teaching a workshop this month) and despite all the naysaying about this being a trendy "hip place," its hard to talk all that shit when your sweating bullets trying to keep up with that bad ass Cirque du Soleil, guy next to you.

Union Street Preservation Society National Underground & Sullivan Hall Videos

2010-05-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

USPS the DIY blues and folk group out of Brooklyn will be playing at Sullivan Hall next week.

Doors at 7:30 Show at 8:00
Directions to Sullivan Hall (Formerly the Lion's Den)

NYC Ultimate Summer Concert List

2010-05-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Jayne compiled this great list of Concerts this summer.

5/23	The Dalai Lama	Radio City Music Hall
5/24	Jeff Daniels	City Winery
5/25	Erykah Badu	Roseland
5/25	Imogen Heap	Hammerstein
5/26	Peter Wolf/Bettye LaVette	Highline Ballroom
5/26	The Yardbirds	BB Kings
5/27	Neville Brothers	Nokia Theatre
5/27	Dylan Fest	Bowery Ballroom
5/27	Dark Star Orchestra	Tarrytown Music Hall
5/27	Rev Horton Heat	Highline Ballroom
5/27	Questlove	Brooklyn Bowl
5/28	Neville Brothers	Tarrytown Music Hall
5/28	7 Walkers	Brooklyn Bowl
5/28	Rev Horton Heat	Highline Ballroom
5/29	Bela Fleck,Zakir Hussain,Edgar Meyer	Westhampton Beach PAC
5/30	Matuto	55 Bar
5/31	Matuto	Rodeo Bar
6/1	Conan O'Brien	Radio City Music Hall
6/2	Dave Rawlings Machine	Bowery Ballroom
6/2	Alberta Cross	Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/2	Black Crowes/ London Souls	Westbury
6/2	Toots & the Maytals	BB Kings
6/2	Conan O'Brien	Radio City Music Hall
6/3	Galactic/Some Cat from Japan	Brooklyn Bowl
6/3	Dark Star Orchestra	Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/3	Patti Labelle	BB Kings
6/3	Michael Franti/One EskimO	Govenors Island
6/3	Dave Rawlings Machine	Bowery Ballroom
6/3	Duncan Sheik	City Winery
6/3	Eli "Paperboy" Reed	Mercury Lounge
6/3	Anders Osborne/Tab Benoit	Rocks Off: Temptress
6/4	Pretty Lights	Terminal 5
6/4	Drive by Truckers	Tarrytown Music Hall
6/4	Taj Mahal	Westhampton Beach PAC
6/4	Dark Star Orchestra	Westbury
6/4	Galactic/High & Mighty Brass Band	Brooklyn Bowl
6/4	Chris Smither	Boulton Center
6/4	George Porter/Papa Grows Funk	Sullivan Theatre
6/4-6/6	Mountain Jam VI	Hunter NY
6/5	Jay Farrar	Bowery Ballroom
6/5	Martin Sexton	Nokia Theatre
6/5	Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes	BB Kings
6/5	Les Claypool	Wellmont Theatre
6/5	Galactic/Buzzuniverse	Brooklyn Bowl
6/5	Kings of Convenience	Webster Hall
6/5	Living Colour	Central Park
6/6	The Holmes Brothers	City Winery
6/6	Chico O'Rarrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz	Birdland
6/7	Camera Obscura	Grand Ballroom @ Manhattan Center
6/7	Ollabelle: Central Park Rehearsal	City Winery
6/7	The Wallers	BB Kings
6/8	Les Claypool	Brooklyn Bowl
6/8	Patty Griffin/Buddy Miller	Town Hall
6/8	Dirty Dozen Brass Band	BB Kings
6/9	Patty Griffin/Buddy Miller	Town Hall
6/9	Norah Jones	Prospect Park
6/9	Ricky Skaggs	City Winery
6/9	Eric Lindell	Sullivan Theatre
6/10	Duncan Sheik	City Winery
6/10	Chapter 2	Sullivan Theatre
6/11	Leo Kottke	City Winery
6/11	Patty Griffin/Buddy Miller	Wellmont Theatre
6/11	Pimps of Joytime	Brooklyn Bowl
6/12	Allen Toussaint/Davell Crawford	Prospect Park
6/12	Leroy Justice	Brooklyn Bowl
6/12	Leo Kottke	City Winery
6/13	Chico O'Rarrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz	Birdland
6/13	collect-I-Bowl Record Show	Brooklyn Bowl
6/14	Jeff Beck	Wellmont Theatre
6/15	Carole King/James Taylor	MSG
6/15	ohn Butler Trio/State Radio	Central Park
6/16	Carole King/James Taylor	MSG
6/16	The National	Radio City Music Hall
6/16-6/27	CareFusion NY Jazz Festival	Various
6/17	Railroad Earth	Rocks Off: Temptress
6/19	Dan Bern	City Winery
6/19	Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey/Hass is More	92Y Tribeca
6/19	The New Pornographers	Terminal 5
6/19	Phish	SPAC
6/20	Chico O'Rarrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz	Birdland
6/20	Band of Horses	Williamsburg Waterfront
6/22	Joao Gilberto	Stern/Perelman @ Carnegie Hall
6/23	Victor Wooten	Highline Ballroom
6/24	NY Jazz Late Night Jam Session	City Winery
6/24	Herbie Hancock	Stern/Perelman @ Carnegie Hall
6/25	Cessaria Evora	Stern/Perelman @ Carnegie Hall
6/26	Texas Tornados	Prospect Park
6/26	Furthur	MCU Park, Coney Island
6/27	Chico O'Rarrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz	Birdland
6/27	David Johansen	Highline Ballroom
6/30	Beth Orton	Rockefeller Park
7/2	Faith No More	Williamsburg Waterfront
7/4	Rosanne Cash	Govenors Island
7/4	Dan Zanes	Battery Park
7/4	She & Him	Govenors Island
7/5	Faith No More	Williamsburg Waterfront
7/6	B-52s	Highline Ballroom
7/6	She & Him	Terminal 5
7/7	Garage A Trois/Dead Kenny Gs	Bowery Ballroom
7/7	Ringo Star & his All Stars	Radio City Music Hall
7/8	Steve Earle/Allison Moorer	City Winery
7/8	Madleine Peyroux	Castle Clinton
7/8	Assembly of Dust/Jason Crosby	Brooklyn Bowl
7/9	Ozomatli	Prospect Park
7/9	James Hunter	City Winery
7/9	Assembly of Dust/The Statesmen (Metzger, Smith, Dion, Rubin)	Brooklyn Bowl
7/9	God Street Wine	Gramercy
7/9	Soul Rebels Brass Band	Sullivan Theatre
7/11	Jimmy Cliff	Central Park
7/11	The Roots	Prospect Park

Passions , Living Days and Blast Off!!!

2010-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Tue., May 11, 2010 / 10:00 PM

Passions aka Mathhead is making his rounds with the live band. These are his first shows billed as such, you should g, if you like dark electronic music, made by of of the pioneers of dubstep.

Teeming with punchy melodies, unbridled vocals, and splashy synths, LIVING DAYS is poised to charm the socks off legions of music lovers with the upcoming release of their first full-length album, MAKE OUT ROOM. The audacious quintet of self-proclaimed “love terrorists” is fronted by the lionhearted Stephonik Youth, whose riptide of rapid-fire charisma is undeniably memorable and features an assemblage of indie music all-stars, including former members of Matisyahu, and sci-fi thrash band AQUI, Lee Scratch Perry, and touring members of Coco Rosie.

With a sound that brings to mind a cross between Gary Numan, Yeasayer, and The Cure, LIVING DAYS echo the spirit of the broken-hearted teens that are confidently hopeful that love is still out there for the taking. While laying down the tracks for MAKE OUT ROOM, LIVING DAYS collaborated with talented producer and former chief engineer of The Magic Shop, Matt Boynton (MGMT, The Butthole Surfers, The Lemonheads). The result is a triumphant collection of infectious pop gems such as “Go Oblivion”, “Bury The World”, and the piercingly emotive “Let’s Kiss”.

LIVING DAYS have already begun turning heads with full-throttle approach to music. MTV’s Warren the Ape gushed, “"Living Day's MAKE OUT ROOM is the album I wish I had lost my virginity to”, while Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes referred to Stephonik Youth “the most amazing artist I've ever seen.”

CHEATIN' HEARTS W/Sheriff Uncle Bob

2010-05-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

CHEATIN' HEARTS

MONDAY MAY 3rd

8 to 9:30

THE PARKSIDE LOUNGE

317 Houston St (btw B & C)

Come join the fun

and stay for Michael Daves'

Incredible Bluegrass Jam

9:30 to 12

Proteus Gowanus art Gallery Benefit music by USPS

2010-04-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Proteus Gowanus Board and Core Collaborators:
Sasha Chavchavadze, Tammy Pittman, Tom LaFarge, Wendy Walker
Julie Freundlich Lang, PK Ramani, Benjamin Warnke, Nick DeFriez
Andrew Beccone, Joanna Ebenstein, David Mahfouda

invite you to join us for

A Benefit Party
to Celebrate Five Years on the Alleyway

Saturday, May 22nd, 7 - 10 p.m.
RAIN DATE: Sunday, May 23, 7 - 10 p.m.

Featuring

Optiks/Alley

A multimedia installation/performance by Paul Benney and friends
inspired by Newton's Opticks and West Side Story. Viewers will be
transported down the alleyway through a dream-like world
of theatrical lighting, video and an original sound score

And a Laboratory of Protean Workshops:

Rocketworks Countdown 3, a triptych moon launch video

Improvisational Mending with the Fixers Collective: bring a broken object!
Individual and Dual Stunts in the Reanimation Library

A Secret Museum, a private viewing of Morbid Anatomy Library’s collection

The Mysteries of the Gowanus Unveiled in our Hall of the Gowanus

An Oulipian Escapade with our Writhing Society

Music by Union Street Preservation Society

A selection of Thai hors d'oevres by JOYA restaurant
and wine will be served

Tickets $60 each
Space is limited, tickets will be sold
on a first come first served basis

Or go to www.proteusgowanus.com
to buy a ticket or make a donation
718-243-1572
543 Union Street at Nevins Street Gate

Phish Rockband Video Game

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Epic post on rumor on Phish Rockband Video Game

Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train

2010-04-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

a classic folk song, with some great "cotton picking." She had no formal training so she played the guitar upside down. This is her hit song written at the age of twelve. She was discovered after 40 years of not playing, by the Seeger family while she worked as their maid.

and again playing at 92

Bloomberg Shutting Down Artists in Union Square

2010-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Freddy's Bar Closing and Opening New Location

2010-04-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our last show at Freddy's went great so we inquired about another gig. This is the response we got...

I have good news & bad news.
The bad news is..... Freddy’s last day of business @ this address will be April 30th, so all bookings after that date unfortunately have to be canceled, I am very sorry.
Good news.....We are not closing, we are moving!
& we will re-open! Better than new!
We will continue to do live music and events and have the best party In town.
The email address will not change... Nor the web site. So PLEASE contact me in a couple months about scheduling any re-placement shows.

WE have to do it to assure the space that we are attempting to move Freddy’s into will still be there, we hope to open this new space as soon as possible, 2 or 3 months hopefully. If we wait for condemnation we might sacrifice too much. I can't yet confirm the location since everything is moving very fast, and it is not locked down yet, but the area we are hoping to secure is on 4th Ave near union.
I am very sorry about this, more than you know! Freddy’s has been the culmination of everything I am, and everything I ever wanted in a bar.

Freddy’s is an idea and not an address, and you can’t kill an idea.

We made a lot of progress in the fight against eminent domain & did a lot of harm to The Atlantic yards Project....and we are proud of that.
We will continue to do live music and events. We will continue to fight for the rights of all property owners. and we will continue our spirit in our new location. We were not destroyed by the deep corruption in our government that acts for its favorites like Madoff and Ratner, we were made stronger by it.
In closing I personally want to thank you for all your support and efforts to make Freddy’s what it was, it has been a tremendous ride, and a great honor to have you on board.
Now get ready for the next ride, “Freddy’s Next Bar”...coming soon.

I could not be prouder of Freddy's, it's community, and it’s accomplishments.

Thank you & stay in touch
Donald O'Finn and the staff of Freddy’s

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
invitation to actual last night below for selective people only.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More good news.. you personally are invited to our last night for friends and family which will be May 1st, it will not be closed to the general public on that night, but in an attempt to not have it be miserably crowded,I am announcing our last night as April 30th..so please respect this when informing any members of the general public.

In closing I personally want to thank you for all your support and efforts to make Freddy’s what it was, it has been a tremendous ride, and a great honor to have on board.
Now get ready for the next ride, “Freddy’s Next Bar”...coming soon.

Donald

They are tearing down Freddy’s Bar Video
http://www.youtube.com/user/prognosisgrim?aia=true#p/u/48/Wvfmu_LvLKU

Bravo TV Night life guide: "When God created the bar, he named it Freddy's."
___________
FREDDYS http://www.freddysbackroom.com

Esquire Mag: Freddy's voted ESQUIRE'S BEST BAR'S IN AMERICA.

Time Out NY: "It's possible that Freddy's is as near a perfect saloon experience as you'll ever encounter."

Village Voice: Freddy’s voted "One of the 10 Best Bars in Brooklyn."

N.Y. Gamble Guide: Freddy’s voted “One of the 10 Best Dive bars in N.Y.: A Brooklyn classic... Also one of the best bars in N.Y. City for Sunday afternoon drinking."

New York Mag: "Greatness lies behind these doors."

Village Voice BEST OF - BEST VIDEO ART IN A BAR: 2001-2008: "Donald O'Finn's feverishly edited encyclopedically strange video collages are lively rivers. ...his editing is so hyper-intuitive that the culture shocks and time warps gel into a state of half vertigo and half trance.”

The Brooklynite: "Freddy's is one of the borough's most vital cultural hubs."

Village Voice NYC Guide: "Freddy's hosts some of the city's most original readings and performances."

New York Mag: (Best Of) "The great Freddy's...seems to sizzle with life."

NY Post: "... the first to turn his local watering hole into something trendworthy - that honor could go to Donald O'Finn, manager of Freddy's ...”

AV Club: * 8 Neighborhood Bars worth leaving your Neighborhood for: (# one on the list) It doesn't get more Brooklyn than it does at Freddy's, which is both basic and adorned with pretty much everything you could want in a neighborhood bar. The crowd is communal and social (if you want it to be), the decor is old and decidedly not fussed-over, and that elusive quality known as "vibe" abounds for whatever mysterious reason.

Bravo TV Night life guide: "When God created the bar, he named it Freddy's."

National Public Radio: on Opera night, “the local watering hole for murderers and tyrants, adulters and virgins, Don Juans and divas.”

L Magazine: Bar Award. Best Bar in Which to Shout "Screw The Man"

Shecky's Bar Guide: "This worn-in classic..a delectable dive..best known as a fringe art space."

NY Times: "a friendly barkeep, good beer on tap and a generous backroom..it's an exceedingly comfortable joint... a little bit blessed."

Zagat: "loads of atmosphere".... "this place oozes Brooklyn pride."

N.Y. Sun: (on Diva Night) "...raucous and sublime... un-elitist, imperfect, and fun..."

Time Out NY: "This is the perfect neighborhood bar."

SOMA: (South of Market Arts-San Francisco) "a warm Brooklyn vibe ... Freddy's is mellow while still being interesting.... but most of all the place is comfortable."

Village Voice: BEST BROOKLYN BAR WITH A SMALL TOWN VIBE: also "Most comfortable hang."

CitySearch: Freddy's is a great bar, all the beer you'd expect on tap, weird stuff on the walls, TVs showing bizarre sleazy movies, it's got it all.

CARA, Aerlingus Travel Mag: "undiscovered treasure...classic dive"

Spin Mag: (on Cringe night) "The funniest night out in N.Y. City."

ESPN: "Freddy's is one of the great dive bars in New York City....a far nobler institution than you are likely to find in proffesional sports"

GetUnderground.com: "Hip...yet unyuppified"

Knotmag.com: "a Mecca for artists and writers with no stomach for hipster poseurs or overpriced drinks.

Bavatuesdays.com: "This storied speak easy represents the best combination of dive bar and underground cultural Mecca."

NY Magazine's New York's best of nightlife: "The best spelling bee for Adults"

No Tourists Guide Book: (Best OF) voted Best Backroom.

NOB (Not Only Brooklyn) Arts: Freddys...is both wondrous and free, presenting a diverse selection of artists simultaneously down home and excellent.

Continental Air Lines Travel Mag: "Freddy's...casual, free swinging atmosphere."

AM NY: "One of the Cities most popular Dive Bars"

Metro (Mix): Freddy's is all you would want (and more!) in a dive bar. The beer is cold. Their calendar is chock-full of interesting and offbeat events, including tons of live music, a diorama/craft night and something called "strip club." There is always something interesting on the TV sets, including amusing B-movie footage that you'll have to see to believe.
______________________________________________________________
Freddys Bar & BACKROOM
_______________________
freddys.backroom@verizon.net
http://www.freddysbackroom.com
Freddy's Bar and Backroom on My Space! http://www.myspace.com/donaldofinn
Freddy's Bar and Backroom on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Freddys-Bar-and-Backroom/9305152763
_______________________________________________________________
WATCH
Donald O'Finn Videos on Line @
http://www.donaldofinn.com/
http://www.youtube.com/prognosisgrim

Park Slope Food Coop Benefit Jalopy

2010-04-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Too Big to Fail, USPS and more will be playing this benefit, for one of the biggest Brooklyn based utopian experiments every put together. The place is a paradox disorganized and lacking in efficiency, The place still gets incredible and beneficial results, making it more efficient when it comes down to energy consumed and expended. IF they could only find a way to be more flexible for shifts the place wouldn't be such a cluster f#cuk, sounds like NYC as a hole though....

here is the flyer

Union Street Preservation Society Concert at Sullivan Hall and Freddys

2010-04-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the two shows courtesy of Robyn Gould and Tyler Cheung. Here is the original post about the show. and here is our awesome myspace page USPS.

Cheng-Chang Wu | Vision of Taiwan | 3rd Ward

2010-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Artists Wanted launched an international search for the world’s most compelling self-portraits last winter. Photographer, Cheng-Chang Wu of Nan-Tou, Taiwan was selected from hundreds of artists by judges Steve Buscemi, Chris Weitz, Helen Hsu and Sascha Lewis.

Wu lures the viewer in with his beautifully intricate scenes, gathered from across Taiwan, but his work is one of resistance and social critique. In each photo he presents an apathetic character to bring attention to how we define and interact with our environment. His face always appears overexposed, blank and blinded. In Wu's words, the figure “can only look with out seeing.” The figure neither registers the beauty nor the problems of Taiwan, leaving the viewer with a lasting challenge to see what they are missing.

Learn More

Passions @ Legions

2010-04-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

Passion's, once a mysterious DJ, has morphed into a full fledge band outfit. They had their first performance as a group last night, in the hipster capital of the world Williamsburg. I grew up with passions and I can vouch for his mystery, Even his best friends barely know what he's going to do next. Always one step ahead of the curve he would discover what would be "cool" 3 years beforehand, be over it once it blew up into a trendy scene, then on to the next one. if anyone could vanish into a cloud of smoke it's him.

upcoming show at knitting factories Eye & Ear Festival

Passions Myspace

DEAD MEADOW play NYC/New original film and soundtrack

2010-04-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

DEAD MEADOW have just announced the details surrounding their brand new
album and original film, The Three Kings, and are hitting the road and
playing in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom on Sunday April 25th. You
can download the soundtrack at this link.
http://www.deadmeadow.com/threekings/preview.html

Bringing forth their wavering mirage of psych rock riffs, DEAD MEADOW's
shows are not to be missed. Please let me know if you or any other writers
would be interested in any coverage and if anybody needs any interview or
guest list spots. For more information go to.

www.myspace.com/deadmeadow
www.deadmeadow.com
www.Xemu.com

Union Street Preservation Society at Sullivan Hall and Freddies

2010-04-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

USPS has had a great summer so far, lets take a look back...

These Union Street Preservation Society shows are gatherings of old, new friends and friends who have never met. A meeting of the hearts and minds of back to the land futurists, music "business" types and web 3.0 futurists.

"USPS is a collective that is a link in the lineage of folk and blues musicians such as Robert Johnson, Duane Allman, Steve Earl, Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Our goal is to educate people through music and by talking about the history of the music. This generation is spiritual bankrupt (and increasingly financially so) and in need of something authentic. We seek to provide that communal experience. Join in on the project, sing along, learn some history and contribute any way you can. The society is always accepting new, honorary members who are willing to delve deeper into the music, both intellectually and spiritually and physically."

Union Street Preservation Society at National Underground

2010-04-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

SES, MtyMx, SXSW

2010-04-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

It was a week of strange and interesting events made up of confusing acronyms. To start with here in NY there was SESNY, a "Search Strategy" conference, for geeks and Internet publishers. I went this year for my company and the most interesting thing about it was that the NY Times had a booth this year, showing off their new digital subscription. It incorporates the latest in print to web information architecture and has a lot more pictures in their slide shows. Agreat thing about optimizing for search is it allows me to spread the word easily about things on the web, when I know different technical techniques to game an online poll or get a post to rank on the first page. The marketing is almost all common sense, luckily I already have that, and I don't need someone with an english degree telling me how to use twitter (click the buttons right?). One interesting high tech session was "automating twitter," it was ridiculous watching how advanced some programmers get to make twitter bots appear as humans, watch out custies!! The talk on information architecture was a bunch of jargon and info recycled from old blogs and was pretty much useless.

At SXSW Jambase and Relix each held a few showcases with some great bands. Kayceman from JB even had his own Treehouse Party. SXSW is perhaps the biggest music festival going write now as it incorporates, Film and New Media. In addition to the main draw of great music.

Then there was some festival in Mexico, put on by Brooklyn hipster, indie rock, mogul Tod P. Most of the bands did not show up do to gangster cartel warfare. Why do they call this DIY? when MTV is all over this stuff, its the standard trust funds and corporate backing, media hype etc.

Top 100 Rock Albums 1964-1994

2010-04-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a website for George Ghindia, who is battling caner right now. The site is to provide hope (and funding) for his treatment. He is into rock and put together this interesting list of top 100 list of rock albums, he makes a very good point about the golden age of rock ending in 1994 with the death of Kurt Cobain and grunge.

"I hope this is a fun diversion for those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s. I put this list together over the past 12 months as an enjoyable, personal exercise. I was very curious what years and groups would dominate my top albums list. Keep reading to find out. The "Top 100" list is comprised of pure Rock N Roll groups. Not included are pop, country, reggae and R & B. I was born and raised and Detroit, and love Motown, but none of the top groups (Temptations, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Four Tops) appear on my list. Motown is a unique blend of R & B and pop - not pure Rock N Roll. By the way, next time you're in the Detroit area, check out "Hitsville," the Motown Museum. It's an amazing presentation of musical history, and does so within the context of the 60's Civil Rights Movement.

The albums are listed in chronological order. The "Top 100" albums consists of my personal favorites, albums I've listened to with great pleasure over the years. There are, I'm sure, a number of albums that were not critically acclaimed...but so what, this is my list! My primary question to each of you is, "What album(s) did I leave off my list that absolutely should have made it?" Please give me you take on the list in the comments/message section.

Why the period 1964-1994? Well, "1964" was truly the beginning of Rock N Roll's golden era. I started listening to the Beatles and Stones in 1965 (age 6-7) . If you look at the songs on "Meet the Beatles" and "Hard Day's Night," there are not too many you would not consider wildly popular during the 60s, early 70s and beyond. Some of the biggest TV audiences in history watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in February of 1964, officially launching the "British invasion" (musical and cultural) of America. I fondly remember watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Sunday, September 12, 1965. I was at my grandparent's home in Ecorse, Michigan, my folks were out of town. I recall my grandmother, a great woman who was from Romania and very "old country," could not understand all the excitement over "The Beagles!" The Beatles were not only the original super-group in the annals of Rock N Roll, they were the one and only mega-super group!

In my opinion, this 30-year golden era of Rock N Roll ended in 1994. Kurt Cobain, lead singer for Nirvana, committed suicide in April of that year. "Grunge rock," based in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Portland, OR) fueled much of the Rock buzz in the late 80s and early 90s. Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden all put out their best recordings prior to 1995.

The other two lists are fairly self-explanatory. I really enjoy(ed) the "Bonus Tracks" albums, just not enough to place them in my top 100. The "Noteworthy Compilations," are not original studio recordings or live recordings, but rather "greatest hits" type albums.

In my Rock N Roll experience, the top years for the best recordings were: 1976 (9 albums), 1975 (8 albums), 1971 (8 albums) and 1969 (7 albums). For example, Led Zeppelin launched "Physical Graffiti in early '75. I happened to attend my first concert, January 31, 1975 at Detroit's legendary Olympia Stadium, and thoroughly enjoyed Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and company! Bruce Springsteen's classic, "Born to Run" capped off a stellar year. In '69, The Rolling Stones released,"Let it Bleed, and Zeppelin released their debut album, "Led Zeppelin" and also, Led Zeppelin II." The Doors put out their best work in '71's, "LA Woman." In '76, the year I graduated from Trenton High School, two of the top albums were live recordings: "Live Bullet" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, and "Blow Your Face Out" by the J. Geils Band (made loud to play loud!).

The most favored groups in my Top 100 Albums list are: The Beatles (9), The Rolling Stones (7), Led Zeppelin (5), Aerosmith (4) and U2 (4). People forget how dominant The Beatles were, and for a relatively very short period of time. 1964-1970! While The Beatles dominate my list, and were my favorite group for probably 6-7 years growing up, nowadays, I'm much more inclined to tune into The Stones, Aerosmith or U2.

Thanks for reviewing my favorite albums! Be sure to let me know where I erred. Is there an album that should have been a "lock" for my list? What albums were some of your favorites? "

George Ghindia’s Top 100 Rock Albums 1964 – 1994

Meet the Beatles – The Beatles (1964)
Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles (1964)
Out of Our Heads – The Rolling Stones (1965)
Rubber Soul – The Beatles (1965)
Help! – The Beatles (1965)
Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys (1966)
Revolver – The Beatles (1966)
Are You Experienced? – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
The Doors – The Doors (1967)
Surrealistic Pillow – Jefferson Airplane (1967)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967)
Disraeli Gears – Cream (1967)
Electric Ladyland – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
The White Album – The Beatles (1968)
Stand! – Sly and the Family Stone (1969)
Abby Road – The Beatles (1969)
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin (1969)
Santana – Santana ( 1969)
Tommy – The Who (1969)
Let It Bleed – The Rolling Stones (1969)
Hey Jude – The Beatles (1970)
Live at Leeds – The Who (1970)
Cosmos Factory – Credence Clearwater Revival (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story – Rod Stewart (1971)
Who’s Next - The Who (1971)
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin (1971)
4-Way Street – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1971)
Paranoid – Black Sabbath (1971)
Aqualung – Jethro Tull (1971)
L. A. Woman – The Doors (1971)
At Fillmore East – The Allman Brothers Band (1971)
Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones (1972)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie (1972)
“Live” Full House – J. Geils Band (1972)
Machine Head – Deep Purple (1972)
Montrose – Montrose (1973)
Houses of the Holy – Led Zeppelin (1973)
(Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd) – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)
Aerosmith – Aerosmith (1973)
The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd (1973)
Crime of the Century – Supertramp (1974)
Bridge of Sighs – Robin Trower (1974)
Bad Company – Bad Company (1974)
Get Your Wings – Aerosmith (1974)
Endless Summer – The Beach Boys (1974)
It’s Only Rock N Roll – The Rolling Stones (1974)
Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin (1975)
Toys in the Attic – Aerosmith (1975)
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (1975)
Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent (1975)
Alive – Kiss (1975)
Blood on the Tracks – Bob Dylan (1975)
A Night at the Opera – Queen (1975)
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd (1975)
Hotel California – The Eagles (1976)
Leftoverture – Kansas (1976)
2112 – Rush (1976)
Blow Your Face Out – The J. Geils Band (1976)
Live Bullet – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1976)
Rocks – Aerosmith (1976)
Fly Like An Eagle – Steve Miller Band (1976)
Boston – Boston (1976)
Frampton Comes Alive – Peter Frampton (1976)
The Grand Illusion – Styx (1977)
Love You Live – The Rolling Stones (1977)
Slowhand – Eric Clapton (1977)
You Get What You Play For – REO Speedwagon (1977)
Some Girls – The Rolling Stones (1978)
Darkness on the Edge of Town – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (1978)
Infinity – Journey (1978)
Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)
Double Live Gonzo – Ted Nugent (1978)
The Cars – The Cars (1978)
Highway to Hell – ACDC (1979)
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – Derek and the Dominos (1979)
Damn the Torpedoes – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1979)
Rust Never Sleeps – Neil Young and Crazy Horse (1979)
At Budokan – Cheap Trick (1979)
The River – Bruce Springsteen (1980)
Boy – U2 (1980)
Back in Black – ACDC (1980)
Pretenders – The Pretenders (1980)
Tattoo You – The Rolling Stones (1981)
1999 – Prince (1982)
War – U2 (1983)
Pyromania – Def Leppard (1983)
Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (1984)
Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits (1985)
Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi (1986)
Who Made Who – ACDC (1986)
Appetite for Destruction – Guns N Roses (1987)
The Joshua Tree – U2 (1987)
Sonic Temple – The Cult (1989)
Ten – Pearl Jam (1991)
Nevermind – Nirvana (1991)
Metallica – Metallica (1991)
Achtung Baby – U2 (1992)
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion – Black Crowes (1992)
Unplugged in New York – Nirvana (1994)

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Bonus Tracks (Honorable Mention):

Having a Rave Up – The Yardbirds (1965)
The Young Rascals – The Rascals (1966)
Aftermath – The Rolling Stones (1966)
Beggars Banquet – The Rolling Stones (1968)
Axis: Bold as Love – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
Dance to the Music – Sly and the Family Stone (1968)
Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf (1968)
Wheels of Fire – Cream (1968)
Kick Out the Jams – MC5 (1969)
Chicago Transit Authority – Chicago (1969)
Bayou Country – Credence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Willy and the Poor Boys – Credence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Green River – Credence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young and Crazy Horse (1969)
Chicago II – Chicago (1970)
Loaded – The Velvet Underground (1970)
Led Zeppelin III – Led Zeppelin (1970)
The House of the Rising Sun – The Animals (1970)
Let It Be – The Beatles (1970)
Abraxas – Santana (1970)
Love it to Death – Alice Cooper (1970)
Rockin the Fillmore – Humble Pie (1971)
Golden Biscuits – Three Dog Night (1971)
Pearl – Janis Joplin (1971)
A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse – Faces (1971)
Sticky Fingers – The Rolling Stones (1971)
Killer – Alice Cooper (1971)
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys – Traffic (1971)
A Space in Time – Ten Years After (1971)
Rare Earth in Concert – Rare Earth (1971)
Smokin’ – Humble Pie (1972)
Eat a Peach – The Allman Brothers Band (1972)
Never a Dull Moment – Rod Stewart (1972)
Europe ’72 – Grateful Dead (1972)
They Only Come Out at Night – The Edgar Winter Group (1972)
Can’t Buy a Thrill – Steely Dan (1972)
Seventh Sojourn – Moody Blues (1972)
The Eagles – The Eagles (1972)
Band on the Run – Wings (1972)
Toulouse Street – The Doobie Brothers (1972)
We’re an American Band – Grand Funk Railroad (1973)
Billion Dollar Babies – Alice Cooper (1973)
Tres Hombres – ZZ Top (1973)
Quadrophenia – The Who (1973)
Brothers and Sisters – The Allman Brothers Band (1973)
The Captain and Me – The Doobie Brothers (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John (1973)
Brain Salad Surgery – Emerson Lake and Palmer (1973)
461 Ocean Boulevard – Eric Clapton (1974)
Diamond Dogs – David Bowie (1974)
The Hoople – Mott the Hoople (1974)
Second Helping – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
Country Life – Roxy Music (1974)
On The Border – The Eagles (1974)
Hair of the Dog – Nazareth (1975)
Face the Music – Electric Light Orchestra (1975)
Silk Degrees – Boz Scaggs (1976)
Agents of Fortune – Blue Oyster Cult (1976)
Jailbreak – Thin Lizzy (1976)
Presence – Led Zeppelin (1976)
A New World Record – Electric Light Orchestra (1976)
Destroyer – Kiss (1976)
Night Moves – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1976)
Monkey Island – Geils (1977)
Point of Know Return – Kansas (1977)
I Robot – The Alan Parson’s Project (1977)
Street Survivors – Lynryd Skynyrd (1977)
Little Queen – Heart (1977)
Even in the Quietest Moments – Supertramp (1977)
News of the World – Queen (1977)
Carolina Dreams – The Marshall Tucker Band (1978)
Stranger in Town – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1978)
You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish – REO Speedwagon (1978)
This Year's Model – Elvis Costello (1978)
Live – Foghat (1978)
Outlandos d'Amour – The Police (1978)
Strangers in the Night – UFO (1979)
Reggatta de Blanc – The Police (1979)
Breakfast in America – Supertramp (1979)
In Through the Outdoors – Led Zeppelin (1979)
The Wall – Pink Floyd (1979)
The Song Remains the Same – Led Zeppelin (1979)
John Cougar – John Mellencamp (1979)
Making Movies – Dire Straits (1980)
Women and Children First – Van Halen (1980)
Escape – Journey (1981)
Ghost in the Machine – The Police (1981)
Abacab – Genesis (1981)
Records – Foreigner (1982)
Signals – Rush (1982)
Eliminator – ZZ Top (1983)
Synchronicity – The Police (1983)
Building the Perfect Beast – Don Henley (1984)
The Unforgettable Fire – U2 (1984)
1984 – Van Halen (1984)
No Jacket Required - Phil Collins (1985)
Scarecrow – John Mellencamp (1985)
Love – The Cult (1985)
So – Peter Gabriel (1986)
5150 – Van Halen (1986)
Hysteria – Def Leppard (1987)
New Jersey – Bon Jovi (1988)
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – The Traveling Wilburys (1988)
Cosmic Thing – B-52’s (1989)
Pump – Aerosmith (1989)
End of the Innocence – Don Henley (1989)
Shake Your Money Maker – The Black Crowes (1990)
Chronicles – Rush (1990)
Temple of the Dog – Temple of the Dog (1990)
The Sky is Crying – Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble (1991)
Out of Time – R.E.M. (1991)
BloodSugarSexMagik – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)
X – INXS (1990)
Use Your Illusion I – Guns N Roses (1991)
Use Your Illusion II – Guns N Roses (1991)
ACDC Live – ACDC (1992)
Automatic for the People – R. E. M. (1992)
Core – Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
Welcome to Wherever You Are – INXS (1992)
Siamese Dream – Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
Vs. – Pearl Jam (1993)
In Utero – Nirvana (1993)
Get a Grip – Aerosmith (1993)
Vitalogy – Pearl Jam (1994)
Superunknown – Soundgarden (1994)

Noteworthy Compilations

Flowers – The Rolling Stones (1967)
The Byrd’s Greatest Hits – The Byrds (1967)
The Best of Tommy James - Tommy James & the Shondells (1969)
Greatest Hits – Sly and the Family Stone (1970)
Hot Rocks, 1964 – 1971 – The Rolling Stones (1971)
More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) – The Rolling Stones (1972)
Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits – Alice Cooper (1974)
Made in the Shade – The Rolling Stones (1975)
Chicago IX: Greatest Hits – Chicago (1975)
Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) – The Eagles (1976)
Changesone – David Bowie (1976)
Classic Performances of Ten Years After – Ten Years After (1977)
The Best of ZZ Top – ZZ Top (1977)
When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll – Deep Purple (1978)
Greatest Hits – Rod Stewart (1979)
Gold & Platinum – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1979)
Classic Yes – Yes (1981)
The Best of the Doors – The Doors (1985)
Every Breath You Take: The Singles – The Police (1986)
Classics – Triumph (1989)
Rev-Up: The Best of Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels – Mitch Ryder (1990)
A Decade of Hits 1969-1979 – The Allman Brothers (1991)
The Baddest of George Thorogood & the Destroyers – George Thorogood & the Destroyers (1992)
Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo: The Best of Rick Derringer (1996)

Derek Truck's First Gig 1995

2010-03-22T20:16:00.001-07:00

15 and 12 respectively

and a solo from 1991

Furthur Festival at Mountain Aire

2010-03-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

USPS was playing in front of the HQ at 846 Union Street at our weekly Sunday open air jam and who else but Joe Russo showed up to watch us. In honor of this I thought I would give a plug to the Furthur Festival at Mountain Aire that is happening this summer, it is looking to be great. Sammy's blog has more.