Date: Friday, January 2nd Time: 9:00pm Location: BAM Cafe (Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave, Fort Green) Cost: Free
A former student of the incomparable Steve Lacy, sax player Glenn White studied at both the New England Conservatory of Music and Juilliard before forming his group Sacred Machines. If that pedigree speaks for itself, so does White's music, "dilat[ing] the cranium like coffee" (Signal To Noise) with tight, post-bop improvisations dished out by some of the best players in modern jazz.
Date: Saturday, January 3rd Time: 2:00pm Location: Starts at the Abraham Lincoln statue by the 16th Street transverse in Union Square Park Cost: Free
The Union Square Partnership has teamed with Big Onion Walking Tours to create a free 90-minute walking tour called Union Square: Crossroads of New York. The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community. You’ll hear how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on “The Metronome” sculpture and so much more!
Once a fringe phenomenon, tattooing in now a full-blown cultural fact. More than 40 million people in the U.S. alone have tattoos, all with unique stories about why they chose to indelibly mark their bodies. Permanence is the first book of its kind to combine photographic tattoo portraits with the stories behind them. Featuring people from all walks of life – from college students to rock stars, suburban moms to Hells Angels, gangbangers to CEO's to pornstars – their stories are told in the subjects' own words and handwriting. With a foreword by renowned tattooer Horitak! and interviews with celebrity tattooers Kat Von D (LA Ink) and Oliver Peck (Elm Street Tattoo), and hardcore music legend Evan Seinfeld. Featuring images including Margaret Cho, Slash, Scott Ian Scott Weiland, Paul Stanley, Chuck Liddel and Joan Jett.
Date: Saturday, January 3rd Time: 7:00pm Location: Pelham Bay Park Ranger Station (Bruckner Boulevard and Wilkinson Avenue, Bronx) Cost: Free
Join the Park Rangers for a viewing of the Quadrentids meteor shower! We'll tuck ourselves into a dark area of the park and watch as the meteors come through. Bring binoculars or telescopes, if you wish.
Date: Saturday, January 3rd Time: 9:00pm Location: BAM Cafe (Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave, Fort Green) Cost: Free
A true standout in the neo-soul universe, Dana Salzman bolsters her sensuous voice with slick production, an impossibly tight band, and her own crunchy, jazz-hewn fingerwork on the funky clav, Fender Rhodes, and other keyboard instruments.
Date: Saturday, January 3rd Time: 10:00pm Location: Southpaw (125 5th Avenue, Park Slope) Cost: Free with RSVP
The Rub ushers in the New Year by giving a lil something to the people. Usually admission to their parties at Southpaw would run you $10, tonight though, DJs Ayres and Cosmo Baker are letting everyone in for Free. Be sure to RSVP!
Date: Sunday, January 4th Time: Varies depending on location Location: 4 starting points in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx,
and lower Manhattan Cost: Free
"The NYC Street Memorial Project invites you to the 4th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk in remembrance of cyclists and pedestrians killed on the streets of NYC in 2008. The ride, which will be held on Sunday, January 4, 2009, has 4 starting points: Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and lower Manhattan. Riders will visit the site of each ghost bike, a white-painted memorial for cyclists killed on the street, installed in New York City
in 2008. They will join a Memorial Walk to honor pedestrians killed in the past year in lower Manhattan." Detailed ride schedule after the jump and at the Ghost Bikes website.
Bronx/Manhattan Ride:
10:45-11:10 gather at White Plains rd and Allerton ave (subway: 2 to Allerton)
11:15 Michael Needham Barnes ave north of Allerton ave
12:30 Faustino Morales Truxton st and Randall ave
1:20 meetup & break NW corner of Central Park @ Frederick Douglass circle
1:35 Unnamed Central Park West @ w110th st
2:30 Alvaro Olsen w36th st and Broadway
3:15 Amelia Geocos e49th st and 1st ave
Queens/North Brooklyn Ride:
12:00 - 12:15 Gather in Astoria Park @east end of running track (Hoyt and 19th st, subway: N to Astoria blvd)
12:30 Arturo Flores 27th st and 23 rd ave
1:30 Asif Rahman Queens blvd @ 55th rd
2:30 Sze Man (Josephine) Chan Manhattan and Montrose aves
3:15 Unnamed under N side of Williamsburg bridge, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Ride:
12:45-1:00 gather top of Sunset Park hill (6th ave btwn 41-44th sts)
(subway: R to 45th st.)
1:15 Pedro Fernandez-Pacheco 54th st and 7th ave.
2:15 Jonathan Millstein President st. and 8th ave.
2:45 Alexander Toulouse Livingston and Boreum
3:30 Jian-Lan Zhang Hester and Allen sts
Pedestrian Memorial Walk:
2:30-2:45 gather at Bowery and Canal st.
(subway: 6, J, M, Z, R, Q to Canal)
2:50 Lai Ho Bowery and Canal st
3:10 James Dong @106 Bowery btwn Hester and Grand sts.
3:40 Josephine LaPlaca Delancey @ Allen st
Convergence of Pedestrian Memorial Walk & Cyclist Memorial Ride:
4:00 Rides/Walk convergence Delancey @ Allen st.
4:30 Rasha Shamoon Delancey and Allen st.
5:00 Memorial for Unknown Cyclists and Pedestrians e10th st @ 2nd ave
Gathering of cyclists, pedestrians, families and friends 5:15-7:00 St. Marks Church, 131 E 10th st. @ 2nd ave
Date: Sundays Time: 11:00am Location: Meet outside Katz's Deli (East Houston and Ludlow) Cost: Free
Are all your memories of the LES nocturnal and littered with a PBR haze? New to the city and want to learn a bit of history? Then check out these weekly 2-hour walking tours of the Lower East Side. Learn the stores, the history, the markets and more. Awesome way to work up a brunch appetite. All Ages.
Date: Sunday, January 4th Time: 7:00pm Location: Barbés (376 9th St at 6th Ave, Park Slop) Cost: Free
"33 1/3 is a series of books on seminal or influential albums published by Continuum Books. Featuring titles ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over the Sea to Nick Drake’s Pink Moon to Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality, the series is known for the consistently unique and interesting approaches its authors take on their subjects of choice. This readings series will follow suit. Rather than follow the structure of your run of the mill book event, each author in this series will incorporate music, audio, and visual elements to create an hour-long, multimedia, music fan's dream come true. Come listen, watch, drink, and sing along with your favorite album." Tonight, Michael T. Fournier takes a look at The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime. 21+
Got plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join Etsy for their weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project, providing supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own project to work on. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out. This week they'll be embroidering cards. Create thank you cards for all those thoughtful friends who spoiled you this holiday season or get started on your valentines!
Date: Tuesday, January 6th Time: 7:00pm Location: Borders Columbus Circle (10 Columbus Circle, 2nd floor) Cost: Free
The self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media,” Perez Hilton makes his publishing debut with a hysterical pop-cultural satire about today’s insane celebrity-driven world with his new book "Red Carpet Suicide." Hear all the juicy details at tonight's book launch/discussion/signing.
Date: Tuesday, January 6th Time: 8:00pm Location: Royale Oak (594 Union Ave, W'burg) Cost: Free
Founded by former members of The Zebro Show, The Moon is a true variety show, featuring standup, dance, video, a live band, and subversive attitudes. The first show features standup comedians Baron Vaughn (Stand-Up New York, Comedy Central), Shane Mauss (Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Aspen Comedy Festival Winner), and Pat Boccuzzi (Comedy Central). Eight-piece band The Prigs will provide health rock for a new America throughout the night. 21+
Date: Tuesdays Time: 10:00pm - late Location: The Skinny (174 Orchard St at Stanton St) Cost: Free
"This party may be more Lower East Side than East End, but that won’t stop its organizers from their stated goal of supplying a spot “for people looking to escape the current doom and gloom of nightclubbing.” Paisley Dalton (from London’s Ghetto club) and the Ones’ Jojo Americo spin a mixed bag of tunes to a mixed crowd of revelers, while Nomi from Hercules and Love Affair, Sophia Lamar, Evan Monster, Murphy and Soigne Deluxe serve as hosts." via TimeOutNY. 21+
Date: Thursday, January 8th Time: 5:00pm - 10:00pm Location: 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue) Cost: Free with RSVP
It's New Year's Resolution season, so ring in 2009 then with a renewed commitment to that temple known as your body. Start working off all those latkes and sugar cookies at the 92Y May Center's Free Open House. Sample a wide variety of fitness classes and sports including activities for water lovers, Yoga, the Masala Bhangra Workout, Intros to Pilates and Qigong, Spinning, and a balance challenge plus demos of Muscle Activation Therapy and Acupuncture. The first 50 people to sign up during the open house get an additional three months free.
Date: Thursday, January 8th Time: 7:00pm Location: Idlewild Books (12 W. 19th Street) Cost: Free
"Words Without Borders proudly presents a discussion of The Diving Pool, an evocative and haunting trio of novellas by Yoko Ogawa, one of Japan's most celebrated and best-selling authors. This highly anticipated book is the first major English translation of her vast body of work. Discussion will be led by The Diving Pool-translator Stephen Snyder (also the translator of Ogawa's Housekeeper and the Professor, due out in February) and Allison Powell, guest editor of the forthcoming issue on Japanese literature on www.WordsWithoutBorders.org.
Date: Thursday, January 8th Time: 7:00pm Location: Idlewild Books (12 W. 19th Street) Cost: Free
"Bio-artists Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray create personal, super-local, at-home solutions to big environmental and health issues. Their urine to fertilizer kits let you recycle the excess nutrients your body creates when you eat and drink. You can pee in the kit and then perform a biochemical reaction that transforms the nutrients in your urine into an immediately usable fertilizer to feed your own plants. They invite you to join them for a special opportunity to turn your pee into fertilizer and take it home for your houseplants, and to join in a discussion with artists and friends interested in these same issues."
Date: Friday, January 9th Time: 6:00pm Location: The Bronx Museum of the Arts South Wing – Lower Gallery 1040 Grand Concourse @ 165th Street Cost: Free
"Join The Bronx Museum of the Arts for its free First Friday program. This special First Fridays! program, Street Dance NYC: The Hitters! will feature original Hip Hop dance crews who will discuss the format and growth of street shows, as well as shed light on their struggle to establish this uniquely American art-form. The night will also feature a screening of the trailer for "All the Ladies Say,” a film about national and international female break dancers, and a performance by the band RPM.
Since 2004, Illu Aye’s dedication to promoting the rich cultural legacy of Africa in the Americas and the Caribbean through performance celebrates the connections between the peoples and cultures of the African Diaspora. Trained by master musicians and versed in sacred and popular rhythms such as bata, guiro, rumba (Cuba); bomba and plena (Puerto Rico); and palos, salves, and kongos (Dominican Republic), Illu Aye will be bursting with all of your favorite music.
Date: Friday, January 9th Time: 10:00pm Location: Europa Night Club (98 Meserole Ave., at Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint) Cost: Free before 11, $5 after
tiny, Uptown Underground, Rob Rewind, and a host of others toss one up for the ravers in the new year tonight with Stay up Forever. Catch hardstyle and techo sets from underground veterans such as Chris Liberator, Lenny Dee, Sara FAB, Nicky Twist, Dever, Kliprock and more. 18+
Date: Friday, January 9th Time: 10:00pm Location: Otto's Shrunken Head (238 14 St.b/w Avenue A and B) Cost: Free
"Nerds are sexy, nerds are fun, nerds are gonna blip and bop out hard with everyone. Hey we had such a great time doing a nerd night that we have decided to keep the energy flowing with a Bit, Bent, Chip Rock night. Expect bands of the electronic nature playing with Gameboys and Nintendo machines. We will be throwing down our Electro, Indie and New Wave with a tweak of Bit rock ourselves." Line-up below. 21+
Date: Saturday, January 10th - Sunday, January 11th Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm Location: Various City Parks Cost: Free
It's so sad to walk down the street and see the skeletons of what were once glorious Christmas Trees discarded and forgotten by the roadside! Don't let this happen to your once beloved, living, breathing pine! Bring your tree to Mulchefest at local parks throughout the five boroughs where your tree can get chipped, brought home as mulch for your own garden and hopefully spawn new little trees! Click here for a full list of participating parks.
Date: Saturday, January 10th Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm Location: South End of Bowling Green Park (Broadway and Whitehall St in front of US Customs House) Cost: Free
The Alliance for Downtown New York answers Mulchfest with their Mulch Mania 2009 event to assist Lower Manhattan residents with efforts to recycle their holiday trees for free in an environmentally safe manner. To make it even easier, Downtown Connection shuttle buses will transport people and their tree to the event (click here for map,) which is part of the organization’s “Going Green Downtown" initiative.
Date: Saturday, January 10th Time: 3:00pm Location: Meet at Foley Square at the black sculpture/fountain, near Brooklyn Bridge 6 stop, btw Centre and Lafayette, north of Duane Cost: Free
All are invited to participate in the 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride. Requirements for participation: 1) Willing to take pants off on subway 2) Able to keep a straight face about it. Bring: A backpack and a metro card. Do not bring: A camera (several photographers will be on hand) Wear: Normal winter clothes (hat, gloves, etc) After Party: For those over 21, there will be an official No Pants after party at Sidebar (15th Street and Irving Place. First drink is free if you arrive without pants.)
Date: Saturday, January 10th Time: 8:30pm Location: 7 West 34th St, 8th Fl., Room 817 Cost: Free
Ousider Art Fair crasher Ross Brodar gets a formal invite to the festivities this year by Art Gallery Olof of the Netherlands to show in the actual fair. In honor of the event, they're putting together a post festival party tonight that features film screening of Ross' documentary "Artist Sanctuary" at 8:30 and 10, then a dance party amongst the art after. There will be drinks and many many surprises. Featuring a late night set by Mark Verbos (live) and DJs Kimyon, Gravy, Jedi, Boogie Brothers, & Fitforuse. Support added by Zygo and Red Bull.
Date: Saturday, January 10th - Sunday, January 11th Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm Location: Various City Parks Cost: Free
It's so sad to walk down the street and see the skeletons of what were once glorious Christmas Trees discarded and forgotten by the roadside! Don't let this happen to your once beloved, living, breathing pine! Bring your tree to Mulchefest at local parks throughout the five boroughs where your tree can get chipped, brought home as mulch for your own garden and hopefully spawn new little trees! Click here for a full list of participating parks.
Urban Glass, NYC's premier glass blowing studio, are hosting their first open house of the new year this afternoon. Sketch and Sculpt will submitted artwork come to life (check the site), studio tours on the hour from 12-4 as well as an art exhibit of residents' work. If you've got a few extra dollars laying around, you can even channel your inner craftsman with a paperweight or mold blown cup 1/3 hot glass workshop ($50) or sandblasted glass, jar or vase (bring your own for fun recycling or choose from our selection… $15). "Workshops fill up quickly and reservations are required, so reserve your spot now. Reservations are required for hot glass workshops, please call 718.625.3685 x 0 to inquire about workshops or to make reservations." Tours are first come, first served.
Date: Mondays through Feb. 2nd Time: 6:30am - 9:30am Location: Various, See below Cost: Free
Over the next month, Dunkin' Donuts is making the morning commute a little brighter for New Yorkers by providing free subway rides at four of Manhattan's busiest subway stations. Pop by the station of the day (listed below) between 6:30 and 9:30 to get your free metro card.
· Monday, January 12th- Lexington Ave/ 53rd Street
· Tuesday, January 20th- 14th Street/ Union Square Station
· Monday, January 26th- Grand Central Station
· Monday, February 2nd- Times Square/42nd Street
Date: Monday, January 12th Time: 7:00pm Location: Broadway Comedy Club 318 West 53rd Street Cost: Free (but 2 item minimum)
"Dykes On Mics is made up of four hilarious New York based comedians: Leah Dubie, Jackie Monahan, Amy Beckerman and Gloria Bigelow. Just back from Provincetown Women's Week, the ladies hit Broadway Comedy Club for one night onle! If you like hot ladies who make you laugh so hard it hurts...look no further! It's estrogen fueled hilarity without the cramps and bloating! Catch them in the Logo documentary 'Out in the City' and on a dance floor near you."
Date: Monday, January 12th - 17th Time: 8:00pm Location: Paul Hall (155 West 65th St.) Cost: Free
The Juilliard School’s annual ChamberFest kicks off today and features six days of ensemble music-making by close to 80 Juilliard musicians, coached by Juilliard faculty members in intensive sessions during the winter break. This season’s participants range from bachelor through doctoral level and include a Pre-College Division ensemble and the new addition of vocal work to the festival’s predominantly instrumental chamber music repertoire. Complete performance details are listed below. All Ages.
Monday, January 12, 8 PM, Paul Hall, 155 West 65th Street
MOZART - CLARINET QUINTET, K. 581
WEBERN - 5 SATZE
MENDELSSOHN - PIANO TRIO IN C MINOR, OP. 66
Tuesday, January 13, 8 PM, Paul Hall
BERNSTEIN - ARIAS AND BARCAROLLES
BRAHMS - TRIO FOR VIOLIN, HORN AND PIANO IN E-FLAT, OP. 40
Wednesday, January 14, 1 PM, The Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65th Street
BEETHOVEN - PIANO TRIO, OP. 70, NO. 2
SHOSTAKOVICH - QUINTET, OP. 57
Wednesday, January 14, 8 PM, Paul Hall
FRANCAIX - TRIO POUR CLARINET, VIOLA AND PIANO
JANÁČEK - STRING QUARTET NO. 2 INTIMATE LETTERS
DVOŘÁK - STRING QUINTET IN G MAJOR, OP. 77
Thursday, January 15, 8 PM, Paul Hall
C.P.E. BACH - KONZERT IN A MOLL
PROKOFIEV - QUINTET IN G MINOR FOR OBOE, CLARINET, VIOLIN, VIOLA AND BASS, OP. 39
SCHUMANN - STRING QUARTET NO. 3 IN A MAJOR
Friday, January 16, 8 PM, Paul Hall
FAURÉ - PIANO QUARTET NO. 2 IN G MINOR, OP. 45
BRAHMS - VIOLA QUINTET NO. 2
Saturday, January 17, 3:30 PM, Paul Hall
BRUCH - EIGHT PIECES, OP. 83
SHOSTAKOVICH - PIANO TRIO IN E MINOR, OP. 67
Saturday, January 17, 8 PM, The Peter Jay Sharp Theater
BEETHOVEN - PIANO TRIO NO. 5 IN D MAJOR
BARTÓK - STRING QUARTET NO. 2
BRAHMS - PIANO QUARTET IN G MINOR, OP. 25
Date: Wednesday, January 13th Time: 6:30pm Location: Swiss Institute for Contemporary Art (495 Broadway bet. Broome and Spring, 3rd Floor) Cost: Free
In her new exhibit, "Marlo Pascual fashions a stage set for found vintage headshots. Gels, platforms, and pedestals realize the site of an amateur actress’s dreams; a mental screen test ensues. The discreet encounters between fragmentary images and unassuming props play out, rendering the effects of desire palpable." Opens today and continues through February 14th. (via Artcards.cc)
Date: Tuesday, January 13th Time: 7:00pm & 8:15pm Location: Trinity School (101 W 91st St at Columbus Ave) & University Settlement (273 Bowery at E. Houston) Cost: Free, pre-registration required. (212 974-8377)
If your New Year's resolution involves brushing up on your literary skills then Gotham Writers' Workshop has a treat for you. Tonight they make their curriculum available to the public by inviting all perspective writers to participate in one (or two) of the 10+ free writing workshops. Professional writers on the school's faculty will teach one-hour workshops in Fiction Writing, Screenwriting, Children's Book Writing, Memoir Writing, Article Writing, Poetry Writing, and an introductory course titled Creative Writing 101. Pre-registration is required and all the details can be found here.
Date: Tuesday, January 13th Time: 8:00pm Location: Union Hall (702 Union St. at 5th Ave., P'Slope) Cost: Free
Union Hall brings you your monthly installment of Secret Science Club, one of my favorite events. Come nerd it up with mind-blowing lectures, volatile cocktails, and chemically-altered sounds. Tonight, "step into the great glass elevator . . . the Secret Science Club is heading skyward with microbiologist and ecologist Dickson Despommier, whose ambitious project to create vertical farms in urban skyscrapers could radically re-vision the way we live—and eat. A professor of environmental science and public health at Columbia University, Dr. Despommier asks how might urban sky farms reduce global warming, and give “eating local” a whole new meaning? What technologies and architectural designs could work in vertical farms? Before and after groove to towering tunes and vaulting video, stick around for the lofty Q&A and try the stratospheric new cocktail: the Mile Highball.
Date: Wednesday, January 14th Time: 6:30pm Location: Bank of New York Building, One Wall Street (entrance at 80 Broadway) Cost: Free with RSVP
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council is pleased to present Access Restricted: The Capital of the World. The second installment of this popular free nomadic lecture series encourages the public to experience rarely visited locales through the lenses of architecture and planning, art, history, sociology, political science, and law. Access Restricted: The Capital of the World will explore some of the most architecturally significant "temples" built for and by the financial sector. Today's installment features Architectural Historian Carol Willis speaks about the effects of financial interests on the design and form of buildings. Situated on what was once considered the “most
expensive real estate in New York,” the landmarked Bank of New York Building features two stunning Art Deco masterpieces, the Observation Room and the Red Room.
Date: Wednesday, January 14th Time: 7:00pm & 8:15pm Location: Academy of St Joseph (111 Washington Plbtwn 6th and 7th Aves.) & Gotham Writers’ Workshop (555 8th Ave. #1402 at 38th St.) Cost: Free, pre-registration required. (212 974-8377)
If your New Year's resolution involves brushing up on your literary skills then Gotham Writers' Workshop has a treat for you. Tonight they make their curriculum available to the public by inviting all perspective writers to participate in one (or two) of the 6 free writing workshops. Professional writers on the school's faculty will teach one-hour workshops in Fiction Writing, Screenwriting, Children's Book Writing, Memoir Writing, Article Writing, Poetry Writing, and an introductory course titled Creative Writing 101. Pre-registration is required and all the details can be found here.
Date: Wednesday, January 14th Time: 8:00pm Location: Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard (65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam) Cost: Free
"This collaboration between NYFOS and The Juilliard School celebrates the creative energy and superlative vocal talent of tomorrows brightest stars, building on NYFOSs distinctive programming and performing style... Latin Lovers celebrates the sensuous, harmonically rich art songs, theater songs, and dance music of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Uruguay, with music by Astor Piazzolla, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Gardel and many others. Latin Lovers will feature NYFOS Artistic Director Steven Blier as pianist-arranger and host... Tickets are free and will be available in person only at the Juilliard Box Office..."
Date: Wednesday, January 14th Time: 8:30pm Location: Freddy's Bar and Backroom (485 Dean St., Ft. Greene) Cost: Free
"Has your booty fallen asleep to the refrain of the winter blues? Join King's County Cinema Society for a night of ass-shaking cinema and music videos. We're going to start the night off with a hot compilation of fast-paced and heart pumping soukous music videos, a fitting appetizer for Rize (2005, David LaChappelle), a documentary tracing the rise of a hyperkinetic dance known as krumping in East L.A with origins in a clown who shakes his sh!# in full clown regalia. The film splices scenes of African ceremonial dance with krumping as the similarities in syncopated arm flailing, hip rotating, and pelvic thrusting is inevitable." Click here for more info. 21+ (via NonsenseNYC.com)
Date: Wednesday, January 14th Time: 9:00pm Location: Ottos Shrunken Head (538 East 14 Street) Cost: Free with RSVP
Hipster Chauntruse Maggie Horn drops a new mixtape tonight (produced by Baltimore legend Scottie B) and celebrates with a heavy hitting cast of DJs. Catch sets by Blaqstarr (Mad Decent), Scottie B (Unruly), Sammy Bananas (Fools Gold) and DJ Teenwolf (Ninjasonik) plus, the whole thing is hosted by Miss Roxy Cottontail. 21+
Date: Thursday, January 15th Time: 7:00pm Location: Barnes & Noble Court Street (106 Court Street, BK) Cost: Free
Yes We Can is the story of Barack Obama’s historic, world-changing journey from junior Senator from Illinois to President of the United States of America as documented by Scout Tufankjian, the only independent photographer to cover his entire campaign from before he announced his run through the Election Night celebration in Chicago’s Grant Park. Yes We Can is a comprehensive and intimate portrait of this world-changing campaign. With more than 200 color photographs by Tufankjian, the book takes the reader along on Obama’s personal and political journey. Tufankjian was there from the beginning. Join him today at Barnes and Noble to check out the book and to get your very own signed copy.
"Just because we're experiencing a Depression doesn't mean you have to hop a freight train for excitement! Calvin S. Cato (Game Show Network, Stand-Up New York, Naked Comedy Show) presents a wonderful blend of comedy and music in a cool Moroccan venue. One gander at these fiercely funny flappers and felixes gracing the stage and you'll forget all about your unemployment woes. Oh and everyone is free to
exchange resumes at the show."
Date: Thursday, January 15th Time: 9:00pm - 4:00am Location: Trophy Bar (351 Broadway, BK) Cost: Free
Soul Imperial is Brooklyn-based DJs Elegante and Ballantino, known for their entertaining sets ranging from 80s R&B and New Jack Swing to today's favorite club bangers and exclusive remixes.
Date: Friday, May 15th Time: 10:00pm Location: Trophy Bar (351 Broadway btw. Keap & Rodney, W'burg) Cost: Free
David Bruno and Robot Blaire celebrate two years of bringing cosmic disco to the good people of New York at the anniversary party tonight. "Over the past two years, PDDNM has raged on with guest DJs and live bands from all over the world in big clubs, small clubs, and BOATS. We hope you've had as much fun as we have...Expect much more mayhem this year." 21+
Date: Thursday, January 15th Time: 10:00pm Location: Sage Theater (711 7th Ave., bet. 47th and 48th St.) Cost: Free
Sage Theatre, the longest-running weekly stand-up comedy show in Times Square, is helping out in these recession times with free shows (no cover and no drink minimum) throughout January featuring "comedy megastars from Comedy Central, HBO, and NBC-TV's Last Comic Standing. Reservations are strongly recommended; just leave a message on our reservation line (206-279-9860) your name, your phone number, and the number of people in your party to get VIP seating."
Date: Friday, January 16th Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Location: 3rd Ward (195 Morgan Ave., BK) Cost: Free with RSVP
"A one-night exhibition of towering sculptures that by morning will fit into the pocket of even your skinniest jeans. Featuring the work of students from 3rd Ward's Inflatable Sculpture Class, Instructor Partick Flibotte, his former students from University of Miami, and Billie Grace Lynn. Live Music from DJ Tanner, Complimentary Drinks & a Crash Course in Inflatable Sculpture Building."
Date: Friday, January 16th Time: 9:00pm - 1:00am Location: Public Theatre (425 Lafayette St.) Cost: Free
Ezekiel Honig and Peter Kirn close out the Under The Radar festival afterparties tonight with two live sets of "warm, experimental, smart ambient techno." There's "free food catered by joints like Veselka and Two Boots, cash bar, gorgeous setting in the LuEsther Lounge (exclusive to this festival), no cover." They'll be "exploring 'muted techno' soundscapes. (That's ambient for people who don't like ambient or do like techno, techno for people who don't like techno or do like ambient?) And there will be a surprise live performance from one of the Under the Radar stars around the middle of the night." 21+
Date: Saturdays Time: 2:00pm Location: The Hispanic Society of America (613 West 155th St) Cost: Free
The Hispanic Society offers free 45-minute tours of the building and collections given by Museum Curators or the Education Department every Saturday at 2:00pm. "The collections of the Hispanic Society are unparalleled in their scope and quality outside the Iberian Peninsula, addressing nearly every aspect of culture in Spain, as well as a large part of Portugal and Latin America. The Society offers a comprehensive survey of Spanish painting and drawing from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular strengths in the Spanish Golden Age (1550-1700), the nineteenth century, and the early twentieth century. Works by Velazquez, El Greco and Goya are amongst the Society’s priced possessions." All Ages.
Date: Saturday, January 17th Time: 9:00pm - 4:00am Location: The Lazy Catfish (593 Lorimer St, W'burg) Cost: Free
Music, art, food and drink come together at Liberator Magazine's Live From Planet Earth event. "Live, From Planet Earth is a community space that encourages our community's creative genius to form collective visions. Here we witness the growth of that genius, we collaborate to manifest those visions and we are challenged to be more creative. In this space genuine fun is encouraged, pretentiousness is played out and creative expression is used as a tool to help preserve humanity."
Date: Saturday, January 17th Time: 10:00pm Location: Dillon’s Comedy Club (245 W 54th St. bet. Broadway and 8th Ave) Cost: Free with reservation (call 206-888-9157)
Dillon’s Comedy Club has been a mainstay on FreeNYC for a while, bringing a dose of free, weekend comedy to midtown each weekend. Well kids, the free ride is nearing its end. You can still catch their free showcases until the end of the month so if you dig comedy, but hate those covers, then head to midtown tonight and make sure you call to make a reservation (one drink minimum.) 21+
Date: Saturday, January 17th Time: 10:00pm Location: Public Assembly (70 N. 6th St, W'burg) Cost: Free
Darshan Jesrani (Metro Area), Doug Gomez (Dirrtyhaze) and Son of Sound (Speak Recordings) cross the river once again to bring their Play it Loud! party to the good people of Williamsburg. Expect and "energetic, unabashed selection of New York soul, disco, nudisco, rare finds and more!" 21+
Date: Sunday, January 18th Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm Location: Ellis Bar (627 5th Avenue btw. 17th & 18th, South Park Slope) Cost: Free Open Bar: Brooklyn Lager, 3-4
If you happen to be walking by Ellis Bar after your Slopeside brunch this afternoon, pop in for free Brooklyn Lagers from 3-4. Nothing says procrastinating on a Sunday like an afternoon open bar. 21+
Date: Mondays through Feb. 2nd Time: 6:30am - 9:30am Location: Various, See below Cost: Free
Over the next month, Dunkin' Donuts is making the morning commute a little brighter for New Yorkers by providing free subway rides at four of Manhattan's busiest subway stations. Pop by the station of the day (listed below) between 6:30 and 9:30 to get your free metro card.
Date: Monday, January 19th Time: 10:30am Location: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (Lafayette btw. Ashlands and St. Felix, Ft. Greene) Cost: Free before 9pm, $5-10 after
"BAM, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York present New York City’s largest public celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, BAM welcomes keynote speaker Minnijean Brown Trickey, part of the "Little Rock Nine." Rounding out the program will be inspirational performances by James Hall Worship & Praise as well as music by Brian Jackson, best-known for his historic collaborations with spoken word icon Gil Scott-Heron. Following the event in the Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas will present a free screening of the acclaimed documentary Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later (2007, 70 min), which provides a candid look at the lives of contemporary Central High Students, the film will be introduced by Ms. Brown Trickey. Also visit BAMcafé to view Picture the Dream, a youth art exhibition, and to hear free musical programming as part of BAMcafé Live."
Date: January 18-22, 25-30 Time: lunch and dinner Location: Various Cost: $24.07, $35 (not including tip and drinks)
Dating in a recession? Fear not becauseWinter Restaurant Week 2009 kicks off today (okay, yesterday) and for the next two weeks you can grab a 3-course dinner for a mere $35 or a 3-course lunch for $24.07 at some of the swankiest spots in town. Just use my excuse "oh that's awesome, I didn't even know it was restaurant week!" Make your reservations online and save me a seat at Fishtail.
Date: Monday, January 19th Time:2:00pm - 4:00pm Location: Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (594 Broadway #401) Cost: Free with RSVP
"In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art - MoCCA is participating with ArtsPolicyNow "A Day of Dreams" series of events and programs. This afternoon they present Urban Empathy: Living with Compassion in the Big Apple...
"What do you do in challenging situations where someone says something you don't like, find offensive, or disagree with? In this fun, interactive workshop you'll get to explore challenging situations you've found yourself in and see how the outcome can be different when we listen for what really matters to the other person — and yourself. This workshop will be led by [author] Dian Killian." All Ages.
Date: Monday, January 19th Time: 7:00pm Location: Theater for the New City (155 1st Ave bet 9th and 10th St.) Cost: Free before 9pm, $5-10 after
Dreams for a new era. On Inauguration eve please join us in creating an artful Inaugural Ball ringing in a new era while establishing a direct conversation with the Obama Administration on how art and culture can help lead the country where it needs to go. Themed Dreams for a New Era, the event encourages participants to create art or costumes that reflect their dreams for the next four years and beyond. The space is large, with a lobby and multiple theaters, and we could use fun or interactive art, décor elements, video/ light projections and any interesting presentation that will relay "Dreams" as inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, participatory culture, or your wild imaginations. For displayed art we suggest artful signage, photos, paintings or sculptures that will make a statement or otherwise enhance the event. What is your dream? World peace? Environmental balance? Bicycle friendly cities? High-tech transportation? Consider the message we will send: Imagine a future where underground art is respected and supported, where the creative industries are nurtured and harnessed for their great potential, and where our dreams become part of the national agenda." More details below.
PERFORMANCES: DANCE, SONG, THEATER
7pm to 9pm (FREE to All)
Curated by Mary Tierney with Crystal Field, TNC
ADMISSION AFTER 9pm: $5 or $10 suggested donation
JAZZ CONDUCTIONS 9pm to 10pm
music * dance * voice
Arts for Art and Vision Festival (212) 254-5420 www.visionfestival.org
DREAM COSTUME INAUGURAL BALL 10pm and on
$5 Dream Costume $10 Without Cheap beer and wine
Participatory Costume Partywith Dancing - Art Installations and Live roaming video collectives. Participating Community Groups: Action Arts League, Kostume Kult, Dance Parade, Disorient DJ's, Arts for Art/ Vision Festival, Groove Hoops, ANIMUS, Metal Tiger, Tribes, plus more being added daily. For much more info on how to participate go to http://www.actionartsleague.org/inauguration/
"Washington is all booked this coming Inauguration day, so shut-out psuedo-politicos and partying pundits and catch all the action at the fave NYC hangout of incumbent Commander-In-Chief, Barack Obama. Revel in all the pomp, ceremony and celebration of America's first multi-cultural world ambassador at New York's first home for world music, S.O.B.'s. Whether you are partying for the end of the Bush regime, the promise of change, the giant step in civil rights, or just because you cannot get enough of the man, we elect you to join us for an all-day Obama-Fest." Full schedule of the day's events after the jump."
Re-Broadcast at 7PM
- Footage of Martin Luther King's Lincoln Memorial Speech
- Montage of Campaign Highlights
- Live Acoustic Performances & Open Mic's throughout the day
- Toast the start of a new chapter in American history, with Potent Patriotic Cocktails & Obama Power Happy Hour from 5-7PM
- Presidential Specials served Lunch straight through to Dinner and late night snacks.
Date: Tuesday, January 20th Time: 6:00pm Location: White Box (329 Broome Street between Chrystie and Bowery) Cost: Free only before 8:00pm
Celebrate the Presidential Inauguration with White Box tonight. They invite you over to check out their political comedy, streaming of the inaugural ceremony, live music and performances.
Date: Tuesday, January 20th Time: 8:30pm Location: R Bar (218 Bowery St.) Cost: Free Open Bar: Reese Whisky, 8:30-9:30, Vodka, 11-11:30
Blues-infused singer Reese Van Ripper- who's influences stem from Leadbelly, Drive by Truckers, Tom Waits, and more - performs live tonight accompanied by Theodore Grimm, burlesque dancers, and 2 separate open bars... Recession blues begone!
Date: Wednesday, January 21st Time: 1:00pm Location: The Rink at Rockefeller Center (5th Avenue bet 49th & 50th Streets) Cost: Free
"The Ice Theatre of New York, the nation’s premier ice dancing ensemble, continues its winter season of citywide performances with the first of three free public performances at The Rink at Rockefeller Center. Joined by special guest French Olympian skater Surya Bonaly, the Ice Theatre of New York will perform several entertaining selections among the company’s active repertory. Dances include: Skater’s Swing Time Waltz, Appalachia Waltz Duet, Low Duet choreographed by Susan Marshall, and more."
Date: Wednesday, January 21st Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm Location: Kellen Gallery, New School (2 W 13th St) Cost: Free
A new performance work by sound artist Alexis Bhagat, commissioned by Parsons, presented as part of the exhibition Ours: Democracy in the Age of Branding, and integrated into the actual exhibition layout. "The lecture activates a large platform designed by Liam Gillick with two different channels of pre-recorded audio. From 4 small speakers embedded into the fora (four circular benches included in Gillick's installation), recordings play that Baghat made previously during a charrette with New School students. These recordings are juxtaposed with the Voice of Authority, emanating from an overhead loudspeaker and delivering recorded proclamations on democracy by Edward Bernays, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and others... (via nonsensenyc)
Illustrating the divergent connotations of the word democracy, the Voice of Authority abuses the term, while the voices from the fora attempt to use it. In the midst of this controversy is the artist, who stands at a lectern and talks on the history of the term democracy -- a lecture delivered to the audience via little portable radio transmitters that will be distributed at the performance. Considering democracy as an example of a brand, Bhagat urges the abandonment of this hollow term.
Audience members have the choice of tuning in to the lecture via radios and headphones, or following the recordings from the Voice of Authority or the for a. At the end, they are encouraged to devise new terms to succeed democracy.
Alexis Bhagat is a sound artist and writer from New York. His work is dedicated to dismantling authorship and authority through the cultivation of new forms of radically poly-vocal sound, the transmission of promiscuous conversation, and obsessive, never-ending correspondence.
Date: Wednesday, January 21st Time: 7:00pm Location: Glasslands (289 Kent Ave at S 1st St, W'burg) Cost: Free entry ($10 to eat)
"It's a no holds barred mac-and-cheese-off. Competitors bring a ton of their best recipe; general attendees pay $10 to eat a sampling of all the dairy-covered pasta they can eat; and everyone casts a ballot for the best in show. Winner takes all: $125 grand prize (and hopefully some kind of title belt that he or she can later use to smash over the heads of future challengers)." [via New Release]
Date: Wednesday, January 21st Time: 9:00pm - 11:00pm Location: Ellis Bar (627 5th Avenue btw. 17th & 18th, South Park Slope) Cost: Free
Here's a new one in our sites but all the keywords are there, 25¢ bourbon, free bluegrass, and our beloved Park Slope (okay, 18th St. is pretty close to Sunset Park but who's counting.) All that said we're down to see what the Ellis Bar and two hours of the before-mentioned 25¢ bourbon and free bluegrass from George Kilby is a great way to try it out. Plus, there are small plates to order should you get hungry or rot-gut from all the drinking. 21+
Date: Thursday, January 22nd Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Location: The powerHouse Arena (37 Main Street, BK) Cost: Free with RSVP
"The powerHouse Arena is pleased to invite you to Independent Press Night
With Akashic Books and Soft Skull Press...Premier publishers Richard Nash of Soft Skull Press and Johnny Temple of Akashic Books will present their authors David Rees, reading his infamous cult cartoon, Get Your War On, and Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones, who will read from his long-awaited reprint of Home: Social Essays." Extended details on each piece after the jump.
Get Your War On: The Definitive Account of the War on Terror 2001-2008
By David Rees
In the aftermath of 9/11, when experts and citizens rallied behind President George W. Bush and his worldwide “War on Terror,” a scrappy internet comic called “bullshit” on the whole undertaking and never looked back. It's taken years for conventional wisdom to catch up to Get Your War On.
David Rees' infamous cartoon—which went on to be serialized in Rolling Stone, adapted for the stage, and animated—isn't just a caustic analysis of American foreign policy. It's also an emotional kaleidoscope of American life and absurdity, from October 9th, 2001, when American bombs first fell in the poverty-stricken, terrorist safe haven of Afghanistan, to 2008, when bombs continue to fall in the poverty-stricken, terrorist safe haven of Afghanistan. (There’s some stuff about Iraq in the middle, too.) Get Your War On illustrates better than any artist, politician, or pundit the true state of America's soul—its violence and its compassion.
David Rees was working a crummy magazine job when Operation: Enduring Freedom inspired him to make his cartoon, Get Your War On. The satire about the war on terrorism became an Internet phenomenon—sales of the two GYWO books have raised almost $100,000 for land mine removal in western Afghanistan, it has been published in British, French, Spanish, and Italian editions, and it has been adapted for the stage by the Austin theater company, Rude Mechs. His comics have appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, the Guardian, the Village Voice, and the Nation. He currently lives in Beacon, NY.
Home Social Essays
By Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones
Akashic Classics: Renegade Reprint Series
"Jones/Baraka usually speaks as a Negro—and always as an American. He is eloquent, he is bold. He demands rights—not conditional favors." —New York Times Book Review
In 2007, Akashic Books ushered Amiri Baraka back into the forefront of America’s literary consciousness with the short story collection Tales of the Out & The Gone. Now, this reissue of Home—long out of print—features a highly provocative and profoundly insightful collection of 1960s social and political essays.
Home is, in effect, the ideological autobiography of Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones. The two dozen essays that constitute this book were written during a critical and turbulent five-year span—the Cuban Revolution, the Birmingham bombings, Robert Williams’ Monroe Defense movement, the Harlem riots, and the assassination of Malcolm X. Each changed the way Baraka/Jones looked at America. This progressive change is recorded with honesty, anger, and passion.
Amiri Baraka (previously known as LeRoi Jones) is the author of numerous books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. He was named Poet Laureate of New Jersey by the New Jersey Commission on Humanities, from 2002–2004. His most recent book, Tales of the Out & The Gone (Akashic, 2007), was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. He lives in Newark, New Jersey.
Date: Thursdays through February 11th Time: 7:10pm - 8:10pm Location: Movements Afoot Pilates Studio (151 West 30th St. 2nd Floor) Cost: Free
Movements Afoot is a Pilates teaching studio. Get a great workout for free from some of the newest teachers in town with Pilates Mat exercises you will strengthen your core and so much more.
Date: Thursday, January 22nd Time: 8:30pm - Midnight Location: Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick St.) Cost: Free with RSVP
"Fueled by Scion's dedication to supporting emerging artistic talent, Scion presents the 2009 Scion Easy 10 Filmmaker Series screening parties... From dynamic documentaries on Big Daddy Kane and the Vietnam-era U.S. military funk band East of Underground, to Max Perlich's More Is L.E.S., the Easy 10 Filmmaker Series showcases unique cultural undercurrents and artistic forms of expression. Founded by Scion in 2007, the Scion Easy 10 Filmmaker Series provides burgeoning filmmakers a modest budget and numerous platforms to screen and distribute their creative work..." Music provided by Cosmo Baker.
Date: Thursday, January 22nd Time: 10:00pm Location: Sage Theater (711 7th Ave., bet. 47th and 48th St.) Cost: Free
Sage Theatre, the longest-running weekly stand-up comedy show in Times Square, is helping out in these recession times with free shows (no cover and no drink minimum) throughout January featuring "comedy megastars from Comedy Central, HBO, and NBC-TV's Last Comic Standing. Reservations are strongly recommended; just leave a message on our reservation line (206-279-9860) your name, your phone number, and the number of people in your party to get VIP seating."
Date: Friday, January 23rd - Sunday, January 25th Time: Fri & Sat 11:00am - 8:00pm, Sun 12:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Taschen Store (107 Greene Street) Cost: Free
This weekend is the Taschen Warehouse Sale. If you are looking to buy some art, fashion or design books, this is definitely the place to be as hundreds of books will be sold at 50-75% off the cover price. You should be aware that many of these books are slightly damaged or display copies, but will be on sale at bargain basement prices.
Date: Friday, January 23rd Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm Location: New York Open Center (83 Spring Street bet. Broadway and Crosby) Cost: Free
The New York Open Center is a non-profit educational and cultural center offering programs intended to heal the body, nourish the soul and awaken the spirit. It aims to serve as a focal point for holistic thought and practice. Today they offer an evening of free lectures and refreshments where you can meet the faculty, sample programs, ask questions and browse the bookstore. The schedule has programs including Introduction to Reiki, Bollywood Dancing, and much more!
TheShowroomNYC celebrates the innauguration the best way they know how… by releasing limited edition action figures and artwork to the masses. Stop by tonight to view and purchase the Ron English Abraham Obama Bust ( red/ blue colorway) and an exclusive Jailbreak Toys Obama Action Figure based on the famous Shepard Fairey Hope Poster, and the Ron English Abraham Obama Poster. English will be in attendance, DJ Snipe spins, and its "sponsored" by Singha beer.
Date: Friday, January 23rd Time: 10:00pm Location: Trophy Bar (251 Broadway, W'burg) Cost: Free
Sammy Bananas and Skinny Freidman are back with another rendition of the Fool's Gold monthly Record Breaker's party. Mixed bag of party jams all night at this laid back Williamsburg spot. 21+
Date: Friday, January 23rd Time: 10:00pm Location: Royal Oak (594 Union Ave, W'burg) Cost: Free
As I was running around the city listing to my ipod today I started thinking how much I really love Daft Punk and that I could listen to them pretty much all the time and not get tired of it. It seems as if these guys must have had the very same thought... One More Time is "a tribute to the music of Daft Punk with an Emphasis on stylistic mixing. All your favorite Daft Punk jams interwoven with the best electro, baile, hip hop, new wave, bmore and more, new and old. See you on the dance floor, musics got me feeling so free, one more time." Party continues fourth Friday of every month.
Date: Friday, January 23rd - Sunday, January 25th Time: Fri & Sat 11:00am - 8:00pm, Sun 12:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Taschen Store (107 Greene Street) Cost: Free
This weekend is the Taschen Warehouse Sale. If you are looking to buy some art, fashion or design books, this is definitely the place to be as hundreds of books will be sold at 50-75% off the cover price. You should be aware that many of these books are slightly damaged or display copies, but will be on sale at bargain basement prices.
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 1:00pm Location: The Brooklyn Kitchen (616 Lorimer St. at Skillman Ave., W'burg) Cost: Free
"From the hearths of eighteenth-century New England to the all-electric suburban kitchens of the postwar era, and beyond, America's Kitchens traces the technological and social evolution of this special room that has always been central in our homes, and in our lives. Lavishly illustrated with vintage photographs, advertisements, and ephemera from the collection of Historic New England." This afternoon, author Nancy Carlisle talks kitchens and signs copies of the book while you peruse antique kitchen tools.
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 4:00pm - 10:00pm Location: Passout Record Shop (131 Grand Street, W'burg) Cost: Free
Over a dozen acts take the stage at Passout Records this afternoon for a marathon of new music for your ears. The bill includes Lorrain Leckie who's "surprisingly real and heartfelt in an age of throwaway pop," Alexa Wilding and a host of others (see flyer.)
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 7:00pm Location: UnionDocs (322 Union Ave, W'burg) Cost: Free
To kick off 2009, UnionDocs presents a photographic exploration of Brooklyn's industrial neighborhoods, abandoned airports, deserted train stations and empty powerhouses. Abandoned Brooklyn documents a transitional moment in Brooklyn’s history, as it moves from its industrial past towards a future that seems to be dominated by luxury apartment buildings and chain stores. This exhibit is curated by the documentary collaborative UnionDocs and kicks off a new season of their Documentary Bodega screening series. As part of the opening night event, there will also be a screening of the film Covered Tracks - a short documentary about an abandoned homeless city underneath Manhattan.
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 10:00pm Location: Dillon’s Comedy Club (245 W 54th St. bet. Broadway and 8th Ave) Cost: Free with reservation (call 206-888-9157)
Dillon’s Comedy Club has been a mainstay on FreeNYC for a while, bringing a dose of free, weekend comedy to midtown each weekend. Well kids, the free ride is nearing its end. You can still catch their free showcases until the end of the month so if you dig comedy, but hate those covers, then head to midtown tonight and make sure you call to make a reservation (one drink minimum.) 21+
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 10:00pm - 6:00am Location: Refuge Loft Space (1532 Decatur St. btw. Irving & Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn) Cost: Pay what you can
DJ, Nightlife mainstay and party promoter extrodinaire Chris Love turns the big 4-0 this weekend and is bringing some of his dear friends out of the woodwork to celebrate Loft-party style. Part one of the evening features hip hop, rock, and soul from The Beatnuts, Jeru the Damaga and IXL. Part two is an old school rave throwback with DJ, Jason Jinx, Jen Mas, Christian Bruna and Mr. Love himself on the decks. Throw in some gogo dancers, fire breathers and visual stimuli from Funk Taxi and you've got a nice, proper bash. 21+ and it's "give what you can" at the door. NOTE: Updated flyer/address
Date: Saturday, January 24th Time:11:30pm Location: The Delancey, downstairs (168 Delancey St at Attorney) Cost: Free Open Bar:PBR, midnight - 1am
Jump, jive, and wail your way over to the Delancey tonight for their 50s/60s dance party, Hot Rocks. Featuring retro-rock all night long plus free PBR from 12-1.
Date: Friday, January 23rd - Sunday, January 25th Time: Fri & Sat 11:00am - 8:00pm, Sun 12:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Taschen Store (107 Greene Street) Cost: Free
This weekend is the Taschen Warehouse Sale. If you are looking to buy some art, fashion or design books, this is definitely the place to be as hundreds of books will be sold at 50-75% off the cover price. You should be aware that many of these books are slightly damaged or display copies, but will be on sale at bargain basement prices.
Date: January 25-30 Time: lunch and dinner Location: Various Cost: $24.07, $35 (not including tip and drinks)
Dating in a recession? Fear not becauseWinter Restaurant Week 2009 continues this week. Grab a 3-course dinner for a mere $35 or a 3-course lunch for $24.07 at some of the swankiest spots in town. Just use my excuse "oh that's awesome, I didn't even know it was restaurant week!" Make your reservations online and save me a seat at Fishtail.
Date: Friday, January 25th Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Iona (180 Grand St, W'burg) Cost: Free with RSVP Open Bar "Drambuie cocktail samples"
We like when people throw parties under the guise of literary references, because you will go to get some free booze but you may actually put some knowledge into that dome of yours. Tonight in honor of the birthday of Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, The L Magazine throws a party with some free Drambuie and sampling of Scottish music and food. 21+
Date: Sunday, January 25th Time: 7:30pm Location: Highline Ballroom (431 W 16th St., bet. 9th and 10th Ave) Cost: Free
New York City's wildest hula hoop troupe The Gyronauts bring you a night of magical circus, theatrics and burlesque featuring musical performances by glam rockers Seafoam and The Psychedelic Chain Gang and yodelling banjo player Curtis Eller's American Circus!
Date: Mondays through Feb. 2nd Time: 6:30am - 9:30am Location: Various, See below Cost: Free
Over the next month, Dunkin' Donuts is making the morning commute a little brighter for New Yorkers by providing free subway rides at four of Manhattan's busiest subway stations. Pop by the station of the day (listed below) between 6:30 and 9:30 to get your free metro card.
· Monday, January 12th- Lexington Ave/ 53rd Street
· Tuesday, January 20th- 14th Street/ Union Square Station
· Monday, January 26th- Grand Central Station
· Monday, February 2nd- Times Square/42nd Street
Date: Monday, January 26th Time: 11:30am – 2:30pm Location: Roosevelt Park (Canal St and Forsyth St) Cost: Free
"The firecracker detonation, with expected attendance by local politicians and community leaders, is intended to ward off evil spirits. From 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, a large stage will feature all-day cultural performances by traditional and contemporary Asian-American singers and dancers. Plus, a dozen lion, dragon and unicorn dance troupes will march through Chinatown’s main streets, including Mott Street, the Bowery, East Broadway, Bayard Street, Elizabeth Street and Pell Street."
Date: Monday, January 26th Time: 7:00pm Location: Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center (596 Broadway at Houston #602) Cost: Free
Italian composer and sound artist Alessandro Bosetti's Mask/Mirror (M/M) is a sampler-based software tool written created using Max/MSP that processes recordings of spoken language in real time. In performance, the composer uses samples of his own voice to create an ambiguous situation of being interrupted by himself all the time and of having to resort to all possible resources to keep making sense. The sampler follows both sound and meaning criteria in sorting, organizing and processing samples and formulating utterances.
Date: Monday, January 26th Time: 8:00pm Location: Union Pool, Front Room (484 Union Ave at Meeker Ave, W'burg_ Cost: Free
Brooklyn's own Born to Sea are my latest discovery in a string of heartfelt Americana transplants in this city's developing scene. "The act includes John Atzberger on mandolin, guitar, and banjo; Bob Smolenski on the cello; and the guitar work and vocals of Edward Gorch. Their songs reflect the habits of the waves reminding listeners that if you learn to give, you might replace all that's been taken away." Tonight they play a free show for a mellow Monday. 21+
Date: Monday, January 26th Time: 10:00pm Location: The Living Room (154 Ludlow St.) Cost: Free
"Former DC rocker Shwa Losben has been making a name for himself since moving to New York last year. With a vocal style that sounds like a cross between Michael Stipe and Elliott Smith, Shwa specializes in melodies that you can't get out of your head. On his first solo effort "Chop Chop," Losben weaves intricate stories over beautiful arrangements. The product is one of the year's most unique albums." Hear for yourself when he plays The Living Room tonight. 21+
Date: Tuesday, January 27th Time: 6:30pm Location: Studio-X (180 Varick Street, Suite 1610) Cost: Free, please RSVP
Held on the last Tuesday of each month, Rapid Response is an open and undetermined platform for quick response to events that have transpired over the last thirty days. This week's subject... the inaugural address... "President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration will initiate a new era, many believe, in US governance on domestic issues and leadership in global concerns. But how will this administration's new agenda address the world that architects and planners contend with and imagine? What do Obama's inaugural statements imply for urban issues? Designer and historian Mabel O. Wilson will lead this conversation--addressing the address--with cultural critic Andrew Ross, architect Reinhold Martin and political scientist Dorian Warren."
Date: Tuesday, January 27th and Wednesday, January 28th Time: Tuesday 7:00pm & Wednesday 8:00pm Location: 59E59 Theater (59th Street between Park and Madison) Cost: Pay as you wish
"A tale of adventure that left England spellbound in the 19th century is the center of attention in Donald Margulies' play Shipwrecked!. Louis de Rougemont, a would-be explorer, invites you to hear his amazing story of bravery, survival and celebrity. Dare to be whisked away in a story of exotic islanders, rustic vessels and the high seas. Shipwrecked! examines how far we're willing to blur the line between fact and fiction in order to leave our mark on the world." These two performances of this show will be pay as you wish. Tickets go on sale two hours before curtain abd are limited to one ticket per person. A minimum of $1, cash only.
Date: Tuesdays Time: 10:00pm Location: Cyn Lounge (216 Bedford Ave at N 5th St., W'burg) Cost: Free
Every week, VJ BAMiAM hosts YouTube Tuesdays at Cyn Lounge, a 6-hour, no cover laugh-riot where patrons request their favorite viral and music videos shown on the big screen. Its basically a video request party that goes far beyond anything you've see on TRL.
Date: Wednesday, January 28th Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm Location: The Gibson, 108 Bedford Ave (corner of North 11th) Cost: Free
I know it's not just me, I know that some of you people are gettin' old too. And you know what happens to old people, they become responsible and do things like save money and buy houses. If you are really like me, then you also have no clue about buying houses. And apparently there are a enough of us to warrant a monthly event called "Home Buying For Hipsters." Licensed Real Estate agents, Mortgage Brokers and Real Estate Attorneys show up and teach you the ins and outs of home buying, all while having one or two or several drinks to make the shock of it all a bit easier.
Date: Wednesday, January 28h Time: 6:00pm Location: NY School of Interior Design, Arthur King Satz Hall (170 E. 70th St) Cost: Free with RSVP
"Architect and educator Donna Goodman will present, A History of the Future, a lecture based on her book of the same title that traces the impact of each era of technological innovation on visionary design. The lecture will touch on the impact of the automobile age, World War II, the space age, the media age, and the digital age on 20th-century design and planning."
Donna Goodman, RA, has been on the faculty of NYSID since 1994. She studied art and philosophy at Smith College and architecture at Columbia University. In addition to her professional practice, she has created drawings of a conceptual future city that present new urban and environmental concepts, media and cybernetic systems, infrastructure, and resources. Her projects have been widely published and exhibited.
Date: Tuesday, January 27th and Wednesday, January 28th Time: Tuesday 7:00pm & Wednesday 8:00pm Location: 59E59 Theater (59th Street between Park and Madison) Cost: Pay as you wish
"A tale of adventure that left England spellbound in the 19th century is the center of attention in Donald Margulies' play Shipwrecked!. Louis de Rougemont, a would-be explorer, invites you to hear his amazing story of bravery, survival and celebrity. Dare to be whisked away in a story of exotic islanders, rustic vessels and the high seas. Shipwrecked! examines how far we're willing to blur the line between fact and fiction in order to leave our mark on the world." These two performances of this show will be pay as you wish. Tickets go on sale two hours before curtain abd are limited to one ticket per person. A minimum of $1, cash only.
Date: Thursday, January 29th Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm Location: Urban Academy (317 E. 67th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues) Cost: Free
The World Social Forum has been an important yearly event in the anti-globalization movement. In January 2008, the WSF organized it's first global day of action, inspiring decentralized actions around the world. Join together, in real time, with participants of the World Social Forum in Belem Brazil and participants in Sherbrooke, Canada, for a
simultaneous workshop to build an Economic Agenda through a collaborative democracy workshop. For more info check out the press release.
Invisible NYC is proud to host 'Leave Me, Desire', a drawing installation by multi-media artist, Amy Finkbeiner... Ms. Finkbeiner creates the icons of a cult of worship, collecting together the entranced mystics and martyred saints of medieval times, contemporary proto-feminist performance artists, and women poets of the punk rock era--all of whom sought transcendent yet very physical states of being, whether through music, creation of visual arts, or religious ecstasy. Inherent to any “successful” cult, Ms. Finkbeiner’s art and the environment created within the gallery revolves around idolatrous objects, images, and texts, which are placed in altar-like visual poems within a space." Tonight is the opening and the show runs through February 28th/
Date: Thursday, January 29th Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Location: Bluestockings (Allen and Rivington Street) Cost: Free
Indigenous Voices presents: The Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy, a documentary from Rich-Heape Films. The Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy stars James Earl Jones, James Garner, and Wes Studi. The film explores America's darkest period: President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma in 1838. An open, online discussion between New York and the World Social Forum in Brazil follows the screening. Watch the trailer here.
Date: Thursday, January 29nd Time: 8:00pm Location: The Delancey (68 Delancey St) Cost: Free Open Bar: something, 12 - 1
Small Beast is a new music salon hosted by singer and pianist Paul Wallfisch at the Delancey Club in Manhattan. It will present an eclectic mix of the world's most creative performers and songwriters. The Beast aims to become the New York vortex of an ephemeral, international scene where artists and listeners alike can come together for a song, an evening, a residency, and all forms of creative experimentation. The Beast, while not at all a jam-night, will encourage spontaneous performance and artistic co-operation. No cover and a "select open bar" at midnight. Tonight features haunting melodies from Erik Sanko of Skeleton Key (yes you Cop Shoot Cop/Primus/Helmet lovin' mofo's, that Skeleton Key). More info below.
Small Beast will be hosted by Paul Wallfisch, leader of Botanica and erstwhile co-conspirator with Firewater, Congo Norvell, Love and Rockets, Little Annie and many others. Paul will do a short set of his own each week. Guest host and co-curator for Paul when he's away on tour will be the Franz Nicolay.
Date: Thursday, January 29th Time: 8:00pm Location: Happy Ending Lounge (302 Broome St, bet Forsythe and Eldridge) Cost: Free
How I Learned is a "brand-new monthly showcase featuring the best writers, comedians, bloggers, performers, and personalities, as chosen by hostess Blaise K, based primarily on their hygiene and their make-out prowess. A complete mash-up of the personal, the biographical, fact, fantasy, and whatever is left in between, How I Learned ... offers such educational topics as How I Learned About Sex, How I Learned That Everyone Is Against Me, How I Learned My Adolescence Is Over, How I Learned That It's Not All My Parent's Fault (Only About 75 Percent), How I Learned We Were Breaking Up, and more. How I Learned strives to share invaluable life lessons against a dimly-lit, self-indulgent, sexually tense and potentially booze-fueled backdrop. It's education that works."
Date: Thursday, January 29th Time: 10:00pm - 4:00 am Location: Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleeker Street) Cost: Free with RSVP
N.A.S.A. are the hottest ish in the blogosphere right now "leaking" tracks left and right featuring guest vocals by famous friends such as Tom Waits, M.I.A., Santogold, Lykke Li and more. You'd think they were their own booking agency with all that talent jumping on the mic. Tonight they make a run at proving they are more than just hype with a record release party and live performance at Le Poisson Rouge. It's a tight list so make sure you RSVP stat and pray for special guests. FreeNYC favorites Eli Escobar and Devlin & Darko support. 21+
Date: Friday, January 30th Time: 10:00pm Location: Hugs (108 North 6th, W'burg) Cost: Free
If you're looking for a place to dance in Williamsburg tonight check out Working The Knobs at Hugs. Resident DJs Cousin Cole, Rezound, and Project Matt have been throwing this musically diverse, disco encouraged party for awhile now and we are looking forward to sharing the decks with with special guest Saheer Umar. Saheer will be spinning all vinyl house and disco! Vinyl, wow, remember that?
Jeff Ramos spins all those guilty pleasure 80s and 90s rock songs that you love (or love to hate!). Plus tons of great RnB, disco and all those great sing a longs you know you love singing with all your friends. 21+
Date: Saturday, January 31st Time: 10:00pm Location: Public Assembly (70 N 6th St btw. Wythe & Berry, W'burg) Cost:$5 with RSVP Open Bar: Vodka, 10-11
Our beloved Crooked Disco party is back after a little winter breaks with one of the best lineup's to date. First up we've got Keys N Krates, an unconventional 3 piece (Keys, drums, and turntables) with a prime selection of live party remixes. "Simultaneously representing the raw soul of live instrumentation, manipulation of turntablism and the progressive technology of Electronic Music, Keys N Krates are officially here to bridge the gap." The video below for a snippit of their high-energy vibes. Perfect for your Saturday night.
And taking on late night duties, we've got the NYC premier of LA's rising starts of electro, DMNDAYS. Frequent faces at such legendary left coast parties as The Heist and Blowup, this duo mix up electro, indie, an nu-rave into next level of dance music.
Plus, your hosts and resident DJs, Morsy and Kestar, hold it down with their trademark mix of Disco, Electro, House, Good Hip-Hop, Baltimore Club, Breaks, and baile (basically, whatever makes you move.) We're celebrating Kestar's Birthday so expect drunken surprises and an extra dose of air horn. Paulo will be snapping photos (click here for some shots from last month) and there's open bar from 10-11. Don't forget to RSVP! 21+
Date: Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st Time: 8:30pm & 8:00pm respectively Location: Triangulo (135 West 20th, #301 btw 6th and 7th Ave) Cost: Free
What do I love more than a dance class? A free dance class! Tonight check out a free absolute beginner workshop in Argentine tango. "Featured in Vogue, the National Herald Tribune, and The Economist, TriANGulO specializes in Argentine tango, the original, more intimate predecessor to international ballroom-style tango. Founder Carina Moeller is a professional dancer with training in modern dance and ballet who has worked and studied with such tango greats as Fabian Salas, Pablo Veron, and Mingo Pugliese. Known for her engaging and precise teaching style, Carina creates a stress-free atmosphere that is particularly appealing to novice dancers."
Date: Saturday, January 31st Time: 9:00pm Location: Stain Bar (766 Grand st, W'burg) Cost: Free
Tonight is the annual Army Of Bjork theme party at Stain Bar featuring the (possibly) cold weather like Iceland, warm wine (glogg) and of course the music of Bjork. Kevin Spyker mixes Bjork and other Icelandic music with live covers from Drew Kolar, blue popsicles, snowball costume prizes and more.
Date: Saturday, January 31st Time: 10:00pm Location: Cameo (93 N. 6th St., W'burg) Cost: Free
Tonight head over to Cameo for Pulled Pork. Streetlab performs live and DJs Gunnie and T. Clute goin' "boom boom so you go whoop whoop". Plus everyone's favorite drink special $5 shot and a PBR.
