New Year's Eve Parties

Here's the deal, I'm kinda sick of NYE parties. Most of them are just a bunch of over-priced bridge and tunnel magnets. So this year I'm staying in Brooklyn. I'll hit a few house parties and then head over to the MyOpenBar party in Greenpoint with Yeasayer! Plus you get vodka and beer all night for a measly $15. On the off chance I head into the city then the only party you'll see me at is the Rated-X/Trash NYE party.

RSVP:
MOB Party


Buy Tickets:
Rated-X/Trash NYE


MP3's:
2080 - Yeasayer
Sunrise - Yeasayer

Back In NYC

After a few days in Jersey I'm back. I've been meaning to post a review and photo's from last week's insanely awesome Apes & Androids show but I haven't had the chance. Anyway, get anything good for Christmas/Hannukah? I got a classical guitar and a heavy bag (need to get my shit kicking skills back up...just in case). I plan on getting back into old form for 2008. I used to shoot for 3 posts/day but now I'm just going for 1/day. Maybe if I get some help *hint hint* I can get it up to 3/day. You might not hear from me the next couple days but I'll at least get up that review and a NYE post.

Tonight: Apes & Androids w/ Sigmund Droid

This is going to be one hell of a night....

RSVP:
Apes & Androids

Tonight: Radio America, Motor City, We Are Scientists

It's going to be a busy night for me. First I'm hitting the NYMag party at Canal Room w/ We Are Scientists and UCB. Then I'm headed to Pianos to see my homeboys, Radio America, play. Then RA and their labelmates (The Bowmans and Chris Gruen) are having an after party at Motor City.

Radio America @ Pianos
10:30 PM
After Party at Motor City
RSVP here for the after party


NY Mag Holiday party
@ Canal Room
Details and tickets here

Valient Thorr & The Sword 12/6

This is long overdo and therefore I'm not even going to try and give a detailed recap. Here's what you need to know about this show: Black Cobra opened and while I didn't love the music the drummer was amazing. The riffs varied from sludgy to thrash and was good at times. They even managed to sound a bit like Sepultura at times, minus the vocals.

Next up came the mighty Valient Thorr. The reason I came to this show was to see VT, not The Sword like everyone else. To put it simply Valient Thorr is an amazing live band. Decked out in jean vests and each sporting a heavy beard they come off like a Viking biker gang. The music is intense and the band is too. But it's clear they're just having fun up there and everything is done tongue-in-cheek. The set was fantastic and I suggest you get off of your ass next time they're in town and check them out live.

Next up it was The Sword, to be honest I never really got why people were into this band so much. They remind me of Wolfmother or one of those other Deep Purple wannabe bands that everyone is into these days.

The Sword also attracts a very interesting crowd. There were very few metal heads, a few scattered hipsters, but mostly it was douchebags from North Jersey and LI. They were literally bumping chests and high fiving each other the whole time. They were everywhere and they were trying to be tough. It was a DB pit, you know what I mean? A bunch of big dudes who aren't familiar with heavy shows so they think they have to mosh, except they don't know what that means so they just run into each other like retards.

Anyway, let's get back to The Sword...they're boring. Plain and simple. I lasted about 3 or 4 songs and then I went home. I just don't get why people dig such a boring band. Valient Thorr blew them off the stage in my oh so humble opinion.

Link:
More Photos On BSC Flickr

Best And Worst Headline Ever

The NY Post has out done themselves with this one. It's both highly offensive and incredibly funny. I'm torn, I really don't know what to think.

Link:
Ike 'Beats' Tina To Death

Earl On A Skateboard

OK, everyone knows that Jason Lee used to be a skateboarder but did you know he ripped like this? Dude was sick! Big move from skater man to Tom Cruise's wingman.

Doing shit that didn't even exist at the time...seriously

Led Zeppelin Reunion (Video)

The past two years have been chock full of reunions. But it's safe to say that all pale in comparison to last night's Led Zeppelin reunion. I mean it's fucking Zeppelin man! YouTube is littered with clips but hear are a few that give you an idea of what it was like. Page seemed a little off, but I guess he's always played a little off. Really though it doesn't matter because again, it's Zeppelin!

News/Black Dog


Stairway To Heaven (bad video but the audio is ok)

If anyone wants to fly me out to the UK I'd be happy to review the next one (hint hint wink wink).

Tonight: MyOpenBar Party @ Glasslands

This is where it's at tonight. Just make sure you RSVP or no free booze for you.

RSVP:
MyOpenBar

Tonight: Spiral Flag @ Midway (Full Band)

I really don't post at all anymore, huh? That's a shame but I just don't have the time these days. Anyhow, former BSC review dude Gabe is making his debut tonight with a full band (well at least under the name Spiral Flag). I'm excited to hear how it sounds live because the recordings are quite good. Here are a few for you to check out if you like.

MP3's (Don't have the track name, sorry):
Track 5 - Spiral Flag
Chauffeur - Spiral Flag

Coincidentally Cutie (former BSC photographer) will be playing at Midway the next night. His band is called Life Is Here, they're pop punk-ish.

WTF!!! Vineland Music Festival (Lollapalooza)

This is one of the most mind blowing things I've ever read in my life. The Lollapalooza people are throwing a huge 3-day festival in Vineland. Yes, that's right -VINELAND. As in the South Jersey town I grew up in. It's literally going to be 5 minutes from my parents house. So fucking weird this is.

I'm going to put together a guide for all ya'll tourists who have never been to Vineland. But anyway, the area they're descibing is NOT very good for large amounts of people. Hotels are scarce and I can't think of any nearby camp grounds. Not that it matters to me since I can crash at my parents house.

But really man...I'm kinda freaked out by this whole thing. I gotta give Perry a hand for this one (he's the mayor).

Link:
Vineland Fest

Here is the farm they're having it on. Yes it's big but considering there's NOWHERE else to park that field is going to fill up quickly with cars. This is especially true when you factor in the fact that there's no public transportation anywhere near here.

Zeitgeist: A Movie You Must See (Watch It Here)

Wake up...stop living for entertainment and look around you. Watch this film and think about it. Do I claim that all facts are 100% accurate in this, no. But consider the points made and consider standing up for yourself.

The intro in this version is VERY long. Feel free to fast forward through the first ten minutes to get to the interesting info. It's basically everything you've always thought about government and religion but could never really prove.

Watch:

Zeitgeist

Here is a skeptical review - please take the extra time to read the comments. That way you get both sides of the story. The overall consensus (from several reviews - not just that one) is that while some of the evidence presented in Zeitgeist may be exaggerated the overall questions raised are legitimate. If this film does nothing else it should get you to research these topics for yourself. I know you're very busy with TV and parties and all that but maybe it's time to set that aside, at least temporarily.

Is it hypocritical that a guy who writes a blog about music and parties is telling you to put aside entertainment to research this topic? Absolutely! But that's the point, I have put this aside (temporarily) to look into this sort of shit. If I can do it then so can you.

Tonight: Andrew W.K. @ Pianos

I'm not really a fan of Andrew but I know a lot of you fuckers love the guy...

1st: VIZUSA (Caitlin and Calder, ex Excepter)
2nd: METALUX
3rd: SIGHTINGS <--record release party
4th: ANDREW W.K. (solo keyboard performance)
DJS: Russ and Lea from Blues Control, Chris Freeman (fusetron)
$7, 21 and over, 8pm doors

FTW: The Sonics Played The Warsaw...

...and nobody told me!!! I hate you all. Seriously. I would have robbed an old lady to see The Sonics. How in the fuck does this band play in my neighborhood and I don't even hear about it until three days after? DAMN IT! Not only that but they played twice - Friday and Sunday. ARGHHH! This is the first time they've played in 35 years or so. They said it's the only shows they're ever playing...I hope they're full of shit. PLEASE GO ON TOUR!

Frank Zappa & Mike Nesmith (Video)

This is excellent! Haha to "...dirty, gross and ugly"

Tonight: HORSE The Band, Shindig, MOB w/Apes & Androids, and Motherfucker!

It's fucking Halloween you freaks! If you can't find something to do tonight then walk into your kitchen grab a knife and plunge it into your neck. Anyway, here's my plan for the night: First I'm heading to the Gramercy Theatre to see HORSE The Band and Between The Buried And Me! This is going to be an incredible show, especially on Halloween.

After that I'm walking a few blocks north and checking out Shindig, which might be almost over at that point but whatever. Then if I can still walk I'm heading to the MyOpenBar party in Brooklyn, where the mighty Apes & Androids are playing. And don't forget about Motherfucker, that should be pretty awesome as well.

RSVP is MUST for Shindig and MOB:
Shindig
MOB

First Rap Album 1974

Well this is pretty cool; Joe "Jody" Parsley is an 80 year old man who claims to have invented rap. Your first thought is to dismiss him as crazy but here's the thing...he has the album to prove it. Now I know what some of you are going to say "Lightin' Bolt came out with Hustler's Convention in 1973". Well yeah, that's true and while that album certainly influenced rap, it isn't rap. It's more like beat poetry set to funk instead of jazz, Lightin' Bolt doesn't really rap to the beat. He's really ignoring the beat all together and reciting lines over funk. Old man Parsley is very clearly rapping to the beat and it sounds like a slightly stiffer version of Sugarhill or one of the other old school crews. It's not awesome or something I would listen to regularly but I think this guy has a legitimate claim here. One thing though, the vocals sound like they might have been added - which means this could be bogus.

Link:
Parsley Time

Tonight: DANZIG! + Misfits Mini-Set

Yes, yes, yes! The mighty Danzig rolls into town tonight and he's bringing Doyle with him! And you know what that means right? They're playing a Misfits set!!! I'm so excited for tonight. Although I hear that Glenn fucked up two Misfits songs in Philly the other night but whatever. I haven't seen Danzig since 1994 when they played with Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies (my first proper concert - and a damn good one at that). Tickets are still on sale.

MP3:
I Turned Into A Martian - Misfits

This is kinda off topic but really awesome: Misfits "Rise Above" Live

The Gutter Says "Fuck You!"

So as is my duty to report on Brooklyn related crap I feel it necessary to fill you fine people in on this one. Some friends decided to check out the undeniably good idea of The Gutter - the bowling alley bar in Williamsburg. Here's what happened: there were 3 of them and one had to split early so he paid for 2 games, the other two guys paid for 4 games each.

Halfway through the first game one of the 4-game dudes hurt himself - pulled muscle. He kept playing through the first game but had to stop 2 frames in to the second game. So while the other two kept playing he approached the counter and told them he hurt himself and could not finish the game. So he asked if he could get his money back, or credits, for the 3rd and 4th game they had lined up. Since one dude was leaving after game 2 and the he couldn't play 3 and 4, he asked for money or credits for the two games he and the other 4-game dude paid for. Reasonable enough, no?

The staff at The Gutters response, "Fuck you", seriously. Instead of arguing he went back to the lane and shared his story. So the other 4-game dude went over to talk to the wonderful staff at The Gutter. He managed to get them to refund the money for the games they weren't going to play anyway. The catch: they had to stop immediately. Which meant they couldn't finish game 2 - game 2 was already paid for mind you.

So they all more or less got thrown out because someone injured themselves on their admittedly "classic" lanes. The poor bastard that only paid for 2 games only played 1 and 1/4 and ended up dropping $50 dollars on overpriced beer, plus shoes and 2 games.

So yeah, I hate when fucking places try to screw people - especially friends of mine. So I thought I'd share with Brooklyn the experience.When you think about it though I guess you should expect shit like this from a place called The Gutter..."Fuck You!"

PC Death Squad - Fuck Metallica!

This is awesome...chugging beer and shredding guitar!!! That's what life should be about in my opinion. Actually if one action can sum up my life at 20 then chugging beer while shredding would be it.

Judgement Night

This was fucking sick when it came out and after stumbling upon it today I have to say it's still super fucking awesome...

Idolator CMJ Report

This is the most accurate CMJ review/commentary I have ever read. I could not agree more on every single point.

Link:
Idolator CMJ

Tonight: BV Party, MOB Party, Free Coheed

FREE Shows: Band Of Horses and Coheed

I was never a big fan of Coheed...and then I saw them perform an acoustic set the other night. Un-fucking-believable! Home boy can fucking sing man.

MP3:
In Keeping Secrets... - Coheed & Cambria

CMJ Wednesday

CMJ Starts Today...

So, yeah...today's the big day, huh? I've looked over a few random sheets of shows and what not and I have to say - there are very few bands I care to see this year. I've been super busy lately (as I'm sure the lack of posts indicates) so maybe I missed something. So let's play bizarro blog today, instead of me telling you where to go how about you tell me? Come on, you know my taste in music to some extent. What the fuck am I missing that I might actually give a shit about? I did see a few good lineups but nothing that made me go "holy fuck shit - I need to be there!". Maybe that's because I've seen all the good bands playing CMJ already, ehh...whatever. Let me know if there's anything good.

Religion Over Time (Video)

Are You Throwing A Free CMJ Event?

If so tell me about it ASAP. I'm looking to sponsor a few last minute shindigs.

Email:
BrooklynSkiClub@yahoo.com

SPORE = Greastest Video Game Ever

This is just fucking ridiculus...and I mena that in the best way possible. I'm not a gamer but I will be getting this and wasting hours of time playing it.

LA Riots, Purple Crush & More @ Studio B 10/10 (FREE! + OpenBar)

It's going to be good.....

Link:
Free w/ RSVP here

Tonight: Rated-X @ Rififi

I have to admit, I'm pretty burned out on the NYC party scene. Nothing is as fun as it used to be. That's my fault though, most of the parties are still fun I'm just old and tired now. For a crusty bastard like me to get excited about a party it takes a lot. Frankly, I haven't been this excited about a party in years....Rated-X returns to the East Village!!! Not only is it on the east side tonight it's at one of my favorite spots, Rififi. This is one of those rare occasions where I call everyone I know and tell them they HAVE to come out. I'll see you there kids!

Link:
RSVP here and it's only $5 to get in

I Suck....Sorry

Sorry for not posting shit lately. I've been really busy and traveling a lot these days. I have some cool pics from the Municipal Waste show that I want to post. Hopefully I'll get to it tonight.

Black Lips Played SoundFix Last Night

Last night I went to SoundFix to catch the Black Lips. No one seemed to be sure if they would actually play or if they were just going to fuck around. Turns out they did both, which is what they always do I guess. They played about 6 or 7 songs, all semi-acoustically. There was other shit going on but it was damn near impossible to see the stage.

Towards the end a marching band entered the room and joined them on stage. They played two songs and then headed outside. From there the crowd marched down the street throwing confetti and blowing on noise makers all while the marching band played. The procession ended at the Williamsburg Music Hall, where they had another show to play. It was very, very awesome in my opinion. The actual show at SoundFix was decent (some people thought it sucked and left) but the march was a shit load of fun I tells ya!

HORSE The Band Touring With GWAR!!!!

Most awesome tour ever...well pretty close at least. But not scheduled for NYC yet, which is a huge bummer.

Link:
HORSE & GWAR

Freedom Of Speech??? Don't Ask Questions!

Serj - Empty Walls

I know this video has been out for a bit now but I just got around to checking it out. It's pretty damn awesome I have to say. But let's be honest, this sounds exactly like SOAD. While I hate when guys go solo and do something completely out of there range I also get kinda bummed when a solo album sounds like the band. Again, it's damn good but it's really just a new SOAD song.

Serj Tankian - Empty Walls

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Washington State

Last week I spent 5 days in the middle of nowhere up in Washington state. This is what I saw while I was there.

Tonight: Punkcast 10 Year Anniversary Party

Punkcast is celebrating 10 years tonight in Brooklyn. Punkcast is awesome and you have nothing better to do so go show some support for the best rock n' roll video site out there.

Details:
Punkcast 10 Year

Everyone Must Hurl...The Photos

Last weekend I trekked down to Jersey for the 7th annual Everyone Must Hurl. I got there late and missed 90% of it but luckily many photos were taken. This year was especially hurl-rific with 30+ hurls. It also had a large lot of random people, which could be partially attributed to the write up in the Village Voice and the fund raiser concert held earlier. Anyway, here are some pics and links to more photos.

Link:
EMH MySpace Recap
476 AD Photo Set
Flickr Photo Set

Hey Bands, Eat Free Taco Bell

Taco Bell is giving some touring bands free Taco Bell while they tour. I think it's just late night, post gig food so you'll still need to buy dinner and lunch or just save the leftover TB. This is kinda cool...until you think about the consequences of being trapped in a van with a bunch of dudes eating Taco Bell.

Link:
Taco Bell For Bands

R.I.P. Hilly Kristal

Hilly Kristal, the man who brought the world CBGB and with it some of the best punk bands ever has passed away. He has been fighting cancer for a while but it finally caught up with him. It's a bummer to see him go but everyone has a memory of CBGB's so he will be remembered.

Link:
Hilly Kristal

O'Death Played Williamsburg

Last week I went to a semi-secret O'Death show at a random loft in Williamsburg. I almost didn't go but at the last minute I hopped on my bike and cruised over to Bedford. When we got there we walked into a tiny little loft. Well, it was big by living standards but tiny by concert standards. There was a table full of liquor and a fridge full of beer... it was awesome.

As the room filled up the heat rose quickly. So to stay cool I grabbed a seat next to the booze and waited out the first act. It was a dude with an acoustic guitar, I wasn't terribly impressed but Tom was digging it. So were most of the people crammed into the room.

When O'Death started setting up I abandoned my post and got right up front. At this point it was gross hot, everyone was sweating. Normally I hate the heat but once they started playing I wouldn't have it any other way. The heat, the booze, and the confined quarters actually made it all the better. It had a very "juke joint" kinda vibe going on.

I've seen O'Death before at Studio B and they were good. But this is the setting they are made for! Their high energy take on bluegrass makes for one hell of a punk rock show. Everyone was jumping around and dancing and hootin' and hollerin' - it was fucking fantastic! Really one of the best shows I've been to in the last year or so. By the end of the set everyone was soaked and all the booze was gone. All hail O'Death!

Link:
O'Death MySpace

The pic above was taken by Fiddle While You Burn, I forgot my fucking camera so go check out the Fiddle set on Flickr