Rated-X Hosted By Brooklyn Ski Club 3/3

On Saturday night I hosted Rated-X at Luke & Leroy. I did just about everything I could to make sure everyone knew about it and it seems like people responded. But Friday night things looked bleak...

Around 5PM on Friday I started getting very, very, sick. I had a fever and full body aches - I was in bad shape. So I guzzled a bunch of NyQuil and got some sleep. On Saturday morning I woke up and still felt kind of shitty so I dropped some DayQuil. Then later on when it started to wear off I dropped some more. So I was basically sick as hell but felt ok because I was all Quilled up.

Around 8:30PM my brother and some friends showed up at my place and we had a few drinks. Then, around 10PM, we headed out the door. When we got to Rated-X there was still about 15 minutes of open bar left so everyone drank up while they could. At this point the upstairs wasn't open yet so we were all crammed around the bar downstairs.

More and more people started showing up, including Tom and the Radio America crew. Then they opened up the second floor and so we went upstairs and the dancing began. At first it was a little empty up there but within an hour it was completely packed. I was actually quite surprised it was so full so early in the night. I've been to quite a few Rated-X parties and it usually doesn't get really packed until about 1AM or so. But I'm pretty sure it was barely midnight when the floor filled up.

So that's how it all started and after that I was running around like crazy the rest of the night. Most of the people I invited out showed up so I was introducing a lot of people and meeting even more. To be honest most of the night was a blur and not because of the booze - it was just hectic, but in the fun way.

I want to thank Michael T. & Theo for inviting me to host. It was a great time and everyone I was with seemed to have fun too.

Oh when I got to Rated-X and started taking pics I realized I left my memory card at home so my camera was completely useless. Luckily Phil showed up and had his real deal professional camera with him. So the below pics are his shots, not mine.

Win: Tix To Sparta @ The Warsaw 3/11

We are giving away a pair of tickets to the Sparta show at the Warsaw on March 11th. To enter all you have to do is send me an email with your name, age, and email address. Then I'll pick someone at random.

Email:
BrooklynSkiClub@Yahoo.com

Related Post: Sparta @ Irving Plaza

Tonight: Brooklyn Ski Club Hosting Rated-X

My people...I'm hosting Rated-X @ Luke & Leroy tonight and I want you to attend.

Rated X @ Luke and Leroy's
21 7th Ave South and Leroy St.

Open Vodka Bar 10-11!
2 4 1 Drinks + Domestic Beers all nite for pant checkers only!
2 4 1 Drinks, Domestic Beers & $3 Kamikaze Shots for all btwn 3-4!

Infamous Hot Body Contest @ 2am
$100 Grand Prize for Winner!

Jello Biafra @ Knitting Factory

About six years ago I attended a Jello Biafra speaking engagement in West Virginia. That single event completely changed my outlook on politics. I've been waiting patiently since then to catch Jello again. On Wednesday I headed over to the Knitting Factory to hear what Biafra had to say about the current state of the world.

I got to the show at about 8PM and their was a line done the block. I was pretty surprised because I can't recall ever waiting in line there before. While I was waiting a KF employee walked the line and told anyone without a ticket to turn around because it was sold out. Luckily I bought mine online the night before - I almost didn't.

Once I got inside I saw that the floor was full of folded chairs which, of course, were already filled. So I headed up to the balcony and found a decent spot against the railing. Sometime between 8:30 and 9PM Jello finally took the stage. Everyone cheered wildly as Biafra did his little intro from the side of the stage.

Then he went into his first rant, which was both hilarious and enlightening. The man is a genius and I have no doubt he could run circles around ANY potential president in debate. Jello hates just about all of them and can give you a thousand reasons to justify why. For example Hillary is pushing a bill to create a censorship committee and Obama signed off on making the Patriot Act permanent.

He also discussed some issues with the war which have not once been mentioned in mainstream news. The crowd was clearly getting fired up as Jello went through the list of all the shit these scum fucks have done to draw a giant fucking bullseye on us all.

Perhaps the best part of the night was his discussion on mailers. He shared one he received from George Bush after the election thanking him for all his support on a grass roots level. It was even addressed to Jello Biafra and not his real name, which makes it so much more funny. He also went through his favorite GW quotes about half of which I've heard but are still funny none the less. He then started quoting his high school math teacher which was easily one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed.

There was an intermission after about 2 hours at which point I went downstairs and snagged an empty seat from someone who left. I felt nice to sit down after standing for so damn long. After about a half hour Jello went back out on stage and got started again. The night ended at 1AM and despite being tired I would have loved if it went another hour.

Jello Biafra is one of the greatest minds this country has and will change the way you think. If you ever have a chance to see him you absolutely must do whatever it takes to get in. I heard rumors that Jello was asked to run for president on the Green party ticket but turned them down. Hopefully this time around he decides to make a run. I realize he would not stand a chance but god damn those debates would be hilarious!

MP3:
Beat Around The Burning Bush - Jello Biafra
Propane And Propane Accessories - Jello Biafra
Die For Oil Sucker - Jello Biafra
What's interesting is "Die For Oil Sucker" was recorded in 1991 and it applies 100% to the current situation

Jello Biafra @ KF

Announced: Apes & Androids Playing Shindig!

Brooklyn Ski Club's favorite band, Apes & Androids, will be playing Shindig next week! This will be their only show before they head down to Texas and destroy SXSW.

Details:
Shindig w/ A&A

Atreyu - "Best Of" (I'm In It)

First of all I want to start by saying that this album was completely unneccesary. A greatest hits album by a band that only has three albums is pretty fucking stupid. Especially when there isn't a single track on the album not available on those 3 albums - no live shit, no rarities, etc. It's obvious they only made this album to get out of their contract with Victory.

Now that I got that out of the way I'll get on to the point. Last year I reveiwed the Atreyu show at Nokia Theatre. They were kind enough to give me a photo pass and I got some decent shots. About a month later I got an email from Victory saying they might use some of my pics in the album.

I kind of forgot about it for a while and then the other day I googled my name and I saw that I was in the credits for the album. Still I had no idea which pic it was so I went to the store and checked out. When I looked at the pics I recognized one and thought I found mine. Then I went and looked through my set and realized I was wrong. So now I have to figure out which one is mine but I didn't actually buy the album.

I emailed Victory about getting a copy but, not surprisingly, I never heard anything back. But they did properly credit me for whichever pic they used so at least I got that going for me.

The Morning Benders

Normally in the headline I would write the words "Band Alert" - but since these cats have already been on Pitchfork, Stereogum, and "countless blogs" I doubt I'm alerting you to anything. Nonetheless when I listened to the MP3's they sent me I was very pleased with their sound. I'm not really sure who they sound like but for some reason I thought of The Monkees - and I mean that in a good way. The sound is melodic but very playful at the same time. It's good stuff and I highly recommend checking out the tracks below.

One year ago in the northern region of California among the rolling hills of Berkeley, our lord God in heaven made love to the sweet sounds of rock n roll and gave birth to The Morning Benders. Started in a moment of magical bliss, just listening to the music of these four men combined will cure any disease known to man. They blend guitars with love to create songs that sound very much like a gentle morning walk on a warm summers day, when the wind rides on your shoulders and tosses your hair about with its soft caresses. Their songs remind listeners what it feels like to be alive again, creating an emotional spiral of euphoric ejaculations that dig deep into the heart of Rock And Roll. Indeed, their music is the music of gods, and their heavy show load this past year has proven them to be quite the presence in the bay area. They are a glowing flower of rock in this little musical garden we like to call Earth.

Link:
Morning Benders MySpace

MP3:
Damnit Anna - The Morning Benders
Last Today - The Morning Benders

The new EP "Boarded Doors" comes out on 3/13

Arcade Fire's Neon Bible On NME.com

The new album by Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible," is available in it's entirety on NME.com. The catch is you have to register for NME to stream the album. I'm sure this thing is on the P2P networks by now but if you are opposed to stealing music then this is your best bet for hearing the album before March 6th.

Link:
Neon Bible On NME

Lou Reed & Pete Townsend (Live Video)

Recently I put up a post about Lou Reed, Pete Townsend, and J. Mascis playing together at Joe's Pub. Lots of you asked me if I had audio or video of the performance. Well now Pete Townsend has the performance streaming on his blog. Here it is....

Link:
Pete & Lou

Tonight: Bootie Mash Up Bash Up @ Happy Ending

Here's what you're going to do tonight. Why you ask? Well for starters the Bootie crew makes some seriously groovy mixes. The other reason you're going....because I set up an event promotion for this party and HeyLetsGo.com (that's where I work now). So if you come out tonight make sure you stop by the HLG table and sign up because you'll get a FREE drink out of it. See you there...

Details:
Bootie Bootleg Party

MP3:
Super Freaks On Film - Rick James vs. Duran Duran

Lou Reed & Pete Townsend Played Joe's Pub

Last night Lou Reed was joined on stage by Pete Townsend and J. Mascis. Pete was playing acoustic, Lou played electric, and J played acoustic as well. Apparently it was quite an outstanding show - at least according to the word of mouth I've heard. Here is what Pete had to say about the gig on his blog:

It was good to be a part of last night’s Attic Jam at Joe’s Pub in New York. I played at least one song with all the artists except Rachel’s co-host Jimmy Fallon. I played proper music with Rachel Yamagata, Rachel Fuller, Amos Lee, J-Mascis and Lou Reed. They are all real musicians, and great songwriters. It was particularly good to work with Lou for the first time; I love his music. He downplays his guitar playing, but we meshed perfectly. There was real magic.

Oh right, I didn't want to mention this because I thought it might ruin it but apparently Jimmy Fallon hosted and he and Pete did a "hilarious" skit together. They're also apparently working on a movie together which I'm sure will be outstanding - just like Taxi.

Links:
Rachel Yamagata Also Played The Show - Her Blog
Another Account

Tonight: Lit 5-Year Anniversary

I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Lit over the past year or two but when it comes down to it Lit is a cool spot. In honor of 5-years of drinking and music Max has assembled quite a line-up of DJs and bands. Plus at 10PM there will be FREE booze for all! Here are the details:

DJ's:

Paul Sevigny Nick Zinner (YYY's) Brian Bell(Weezer) Tim Biskup (pop artist) Sean Dack (art star) Jess(Trash) Zack(Fresh Kills)

BANDS:

Color Scheme(ex Built To Spill) Holy Hail Autodrone AlokeStalkers

More details here....

There's no way i'm missing this one - see you there!