Ooooh saaaay caaaan youuu seeeee…

February 6, 2012 By Josh 1 Comment

I’m sure that the majority of the television-watching American public made sure to take in the Super Bowl yesterday and the highly publicized half-time show with Madonna, Nicki Minaj & M.I.A. And while the half-time performance was chock-full of set changes, choreography and guest stars, I thought that the incomparable yet still somehow under appreciated Kelly Clarkson really stole the show with her above-average performance of the National Anthem.

It seems to be a trend nowadays for stars to butcher/lipsynch/vocally complicate the National Anthem, so I found it extremely refreshing to see Ms. Clarkson sing it not only correctly, but also with genuine emotion and talent. Leave it to Kelly and her American Idol-winning pipes to score a touchdown (yeah..that was corny, I know). Check it out below and let us know what is one of your favorite renditions of the National Anthem.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: kelly clarkson, National Anthem, super bowl

Dr. John Brings Bonnaroo To Brooklyn

February 2, 2012 By Kyle Leave a Comment

If you haven’t already heard, the legendary Dr. John is set to perform a staggering nine nights at Brooklyn Academy of Music this spring. I first discovered the doctor in high school, as ‘The Last Waltz’ became the soundtrack to many late nights out – particularly “Such a Night,” in which the doctor coolly croons over The Band’s tight groove:

In college, I had the privilege of witnessing Dr. John perform in person during his special late-night Bonnaroo set. And not only in person, but in character, as his psychedelic voodoo alter-ego The Night Tripper. (Fun fact: Dr. John can be thanked for the Bonnaroo name, as his 1974 album ‘Desitively Bonnaroo’ popularized the word, meaning “a really good time” in Ninth Ward slang.) Here’s what he looked like on that impossible-to-forget night:

Now, as Dr. John prepares the release of his new album with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, ‘Locked Down,’ I’ll have the opportunity to see him three weekends in a row – one a Louis Armstrong tribute, one dedicated to ‘Locked Down,’ and one a tribute to everything New Orleans – right in my backyard. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

(More info on the BAM run here: http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=3972)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dr. John

The Facebook Timeline just sparks FB memory lane

January 31, 2012 By nmaldonado Leave a Comment

In the final days of our current Facebook layout, I find myself feeling mixed emotions about the next wave of changes. Part of me is reassured that the new layout will soon become second nature  and navigation will be no issue at all. For some reason, it’s this thought of reassurance that also bothers me. I’m still quite young but I’m not a fan of realizing how my parents must have felt my entire life,  the anxiety of trying to keep up with new technology. For example, I remember the look on my mother’s face as I tried to explain Google for the first time when I was in high school. I don’t remember exactly how I put it, but it was something along the lines of “Mom, Google is everything in the universe, like, literally everything, at your finger tips…on this 17 inch screen. Get it?” Her mind was blown, but once she got the hang of it, I got called at all hours to see what she just “Googled.” Voila, second nature. For the most part, I think the last few Facebook updates have been easy to slide into and comprehend. The most monumental change until now that I can remember was the addition of the news feed. Remember that? I’m willing to bet 90% of everyone’s first news feed was about how scary and stalkerish it was. Now how else do you navigate Facebook? Going to hundreds of friends’ pages everyday? I think not.

Which brings me to the pinnacle of my trip down Facebook memory lane – Thefacebook. It was the original. It was exclusive. University students only. No teeny-boppers posting their camera phone self-portraits in the mirror (that was still for Myspace). No apps. No parents to comment or “Like” EVERYTHING you do. No Like option at all. It was just your face on the top left corner, a minimal “About” section to the right, a comment area at the bottom and few options for finding friends and messages to the left (please see bro-page below). It was boring but it’s kind of cool to think about how different it was.

What Thefacebook once was...

Though the information available on the average FB page has increased, the basic layout has stayed consistent, until now. Yes, we’ve come a long way since those days of Thefacebook.  The exciting part is with the new timeline, I can use the new Facebook for my trip down memory lane. Year by year, even month by month, I can easily navigate all the way back to my very first wall comment. I haven’t switched to Timeline just yet, call me old fashioned. Just like I listened to cd’s until 2011 (when I was forced to purchase my first iPod and go digital), I’m going to hold on to my last breaths of old school Facebook while I can. Then I will embrace the new.

Amidst all these Facebook updates, how do I cope with the change? I listen to this:

…and of course, this version too. It doesn’t get much better than Maya Rudolph’s air drums:

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: facebook, Facebook Over the years, Facebook Timeline, thefacebook, Time Line

Flamenco/Classical Music for Folks Ignorant About Either Genre

January 30, 2012 By Ray Padgett Leave a Comment

I know as much about flamenco guitar as I do about cello music: next to nothing. So a combination of the two falls far outside my knowledge base. The musical pairing of Pedro Soler (guitar) and Gasper Claus (cello) instantly transfixed me though, perhaps because both artists take distinctly unorthodox approaches to their instruments. The album Barlande finds a father (Pedro) and son (Gasper) performing mostly improvised instrumental music and is produced by – and this is why I caught onto it in the first place – Bryce Dessner of the National. This live performance video from last summer captures the fragile beauty in every note. Someone with more of a flamenco (or classical) background could probably better explain makes this so spell-binding, but in lieu of that, though, I think this unusually-poetic YouTube comment puts it pretty well:

It started in the tips of my fingers. Then slowly, from the wrist up, the hairs on my arms rose.
From there it worked its way up to my shoulders, where it eventually met at my neck.
Once it hit my neck an indescribable shiver went down my spine.
It was slow. It was as if my ears where telling my body, “If only you could hear this.”
It was like trying to telling a deaf man what music sounds like and he understood.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Bryce Dessner, cello, Flamenco, Gasper Claus, music, Pedro Soler, the national

RIP Etta James

January 20, 2012 By Lauretta Leave a Comment

My freshman year in college I went to see Etta James perform live at the Masonic Temple in San Francisco. She was rolled out in a wheelchair. I remember acknowledging that I was about to witness a legend perform and being in awe of the fact that she was still doing what she loved in spite of her waning health. That was over a decade ago. She was a fighter. She had endurance. She was passionate about her work. When you listen to her sing, you can hear all of that. When you listen to her music you want to say, “Sing, Etta. Sing.” You want to hear her fight and struggle against all odds.

Really, a voice like Etta’s can never stop singing and we will never stop listening to it. It’s the stuff of legend and genius.

RIP ETTA JAMES.


Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Etta James

Where to Eat

January 17, 2012 By Chris Taillie Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for good year end list (aren’t we all?). I’ve thoroughly waded through many of the music lists and now I’ve got my sights set on…FOOD!

My new years resolution is not to lose weight or eat healthier but to visit as many restaurants as I can on Adam Platt’s Top 101 list and Sam Sifton’s Top 10 new joints of 2011 list. Here’s a slideshow.

The Times’ $25 and Under crew also made their own Top 10 list.

Started the year with the Franks’ Prime Meats, which was amazing and heavily meat-focused. Our spread included roasted marrow bones, lamb stew, sauerkraut with pork belly, beef tongue and sausages (!)…gut-busting, cold weather eatin’ at its finest.

NY Mag's Adam Platt listed his top 101 NYC restaurants to visit

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: adam platt, food, foodie, Frank's Prime Meats, new york times, NY restaurants, Sam Sifton, top restaurants

Best Songs Sung By That Other Band Member

January 11, 2012 By Madelyn Leave a Comment

The L Magazine recently had an article about the greatest songs NOT sung by a band’s lead singer, which included one of my favorites, “Guns of Brixton” by The Clash, sung by bassist (and my one true love) Paul Simonon. You can check out The L’s list here, but it got me thinking about what other songs could be added….

I invariably love any New Pornographers song sung by Dan Bejar, and though the band doesn’t have one strict lead singer, his songs are fewer and farther between. I think my fave is ‘Electric Version’ track “Ballad of a Comeback Kid”:

Quite the opposite, I tend to skip any Arcade Fire song sung by Regine Chassagne, with the exception of total jam “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” on ‘The Suburbs’:

What other songs should be added to the list?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Arcade Fire, Dan Bejar, Electric Version, L magazine, New Pornographers, The Clash

Happy Birthday, Lauretta!

January 10, 2012 By nmaldonado Leave a Comment

Last Friday we finished the week with a grand celebration of my pool partner Lauretta Charlton’s birthday. What made it so grand? Well besides the fact that Lauretta is awesome, which makes her birthday awesome by association, the cupcakes from her choice of The Chocolate Room were practically intoxicating from sweetness, leaving a sugar high to last for  hours. Well, maybe not hours but they sure picked up the end of my day! I do believe it was another crowd pleaser. Good choice, Lauretta! Hope you enjoyed one before your karaoke birthday celebration! And I hope you had an excellent birthday!

Happy Birthday, Lauretta!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: birthday, shore fire, The Chocolate Room

If only this was the real NYC subway map

January 9, 2012 By Chris Taillie Leave a Comment

WNYC has been airing a special series this week on NYC subway lines that were planned but never came to fruition, along with abandoned stations and tunnels that were never (or have yet to be) completed. Check out the mythical line that would’ve connected Brooklyn to Staten Island. And the line that would’ve gone from Canal Street to Williamsburg. Let’s not even get started on the 2nd Avenue line. If only!

Here’s a link to the interactive map and go here to see a slide show of FDR’s old train and a number of unfinished/abandoned stations.

current maps of NYC subway system with a number of planned lines that were never executed - courtesy WNYC

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 5 buroughs, MTA, NYC subway, planned lines, public transportation, subway system. WNYC

Auster Extravaganza for Issue Project Room

January 3, 2012 By Marilyn Leave a Comment

Sophie Auster, Marilyn Laverty, Paul Auster, and Karen Auster at Issue Project Room fundraising reception

Interior of Issue Project Room at 110 Livingston Street in Brooklyn, which New York Magazine dubbed "Little Carnegie"

Mary Pat Thornton and Cormac McEnery hosted a wonderful evening of music and literature at their Pierrepont Street home in support of the Issue Project Room, an exquisite performance center at 110 Livingston Street (Brooklyn) that is becoming a hub for creative culture for all of New York. In keeping with Issue Project’s philosophy of presenting groundbreaking work in all the arts for audiences of all ages, the evening featured a reading of unpublished letters by literary icon Paul Auster as well as a musical set by his gorgeous and charming daughter Sophie.

I’m really grateful to my colleague Karen Auster, the dynamic founder of the Auster Agency, for introducing me to the Issue Project Room, which is not only a breathtaking jewel of a space but also a nurturing community that fosters artistic collaboration and experimentation. What a treat it was to meet Paul Auster and receive a signed copy of his novel Sunset Park, which I read on Christmas vacation and found to be irresistible, moving, and quite devastating. Hearing Paul’s daughter Sophie perform was a revelation — she’s got a rich and expressive voice and I look forward to hearing her new EP, “Red Weather”, when it’s released this year. If you want to follow Sophie, you can find her @SophieHAuster.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: Art, Auster Agency, brooklyn, Creative NYC, Issue Project Room, NYC, Paul Auster, Sophie Auster, Sunset Park
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