Results tagged “blues”

Pinch & S’MAC: Dejected fans of Pinch, the defunct Park Avenue South “pizza by the inch” joint, will not only be reunited with their favorite Pinch pizza, but they can even slather it with the incredible mac-n-cheese from East Village favorite S’MAC. The new cheese and carb cartel will bring the best of both menus together on the Upper West Side, forming a single, unified, belt-busting celebration of starch. If you’ve never tried S’MAC, you’re best off staying away; those who’ve tasted their mac-n-cheese speak of it with glazed-over eyes befitting a Shake Shack devotee. Opening “soft” on Monday, Pinch & S’MAC promises a casual environment with take out, delivery, catering and a separate room for private parties. 474 Columbus Ave., between 82nd and 83rd, (646) 438-9494.

Salt & Samovar are a Brooklyn band that sound more like they're just visiting here from Upstate...or a Coen brothers film. Their live shows are described as "pentecostal revival-like performances that evoke the musical and spiritual heirlooms of a cherished American past." A simpler and simply transporting sound that'll have you pining for the past. Come check out their revival-rock this Friday at Mercury Lounge -- get your tickets here.

August 19: 8th Annual Blues & BBQ

EVENT: GRBG is helping in the celebration of the “Gangs of New York” Fall ’07 collection. Enjoy a photo exhibit of the fall look book shot in Coney Island, a screening of The Warriors and free Rum!

(pic via Ear Farm)

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Lexington and 55th St. in Manhattan at 4:03 pm (and a second bank robbery seven minutes later on 27th St. and 6th Ave.), a special delivery (as cops helped a mother give birth) at Henry and Rutgers Streets in Manhattan and a home invasion/homicide on 100th St. in Brooklyn.
• Former Staten Island ferry captain Richard Smith was released from prison after serving his term for his role in the 2003 ferry crash that killed 11 people and gravely injured many more.
• Blues guitarist Bill Perry died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday, and opera singer Jerry Hadley passed away after being removed from life support. They were 49 and 55 years old, respectively.
• The anniversary ceremony of the 9/11 attacks, where victims names are read aloud, will not take place at Ground Zero this year due to construction activity, but at a small park.
• Queens Crap may know why foreclosures are at "worrisome levels": "Queens has the most lending predators and subprime mortgage victims."
• With the opening of a new DNA facility on Manhattan's East Side, the city's capacity for DNA tests will soar from 3,000 annually to 20,000 annually; the extra capacity will be used to pursue suspects in cases such as burglaries.
• The Macy's-sponsored fishing contest held annually at Prospect Park's lake lets kids 15 and under fish for a special tagged fish nicknamed R.H. Macy. The child who catches it wins a prize. The opening ceremony was rained out yesterday, but the contest continues through Sunday.
• Should Berlin's recycling bins come to NYC? Brownstoner thinks it would at least make things more simple.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a partial roof collapse on Union St. in Brooklyn, a person under a train at Coney Island and Brighton Beach Aves. in Brooklyn, and a slashing at Dyckman St. and Broadway in Manhattan.
• Artie Fufkin speaks! Paul Schaffer, who was the musical director of the Blues Brothers, keyboardist for Bill Murray's lounge singer character on SNL, and the bandleader for David Letterman's "The World's Most Dangerous Band" since 1982, is publishing his memoirs. Yeah!
• A local moving company is converting a number of its trucks from diesel to biodiesel fuel in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• The producer of a Broadway show called "My First Time" is employing a mindreader to determine who gets free tickets to the show. Recipients must affirm via a psychic they are virgins.
• A 17-year-old was shot several times in the head as he lay in bed in the middle of the afternoon while visiting relatives in the Bronx.
• Juana Yolfo is a Spanish-speaking 106-year-old woman who was born in Puerto Rico before moving to Brooklyn and then settling in the Lower East Side more than 40 years ago. She's celebrating her birthday this week after more than 50 years as a NYC resident.
• Al Sharpton as Apollo Creed? The reverend is getting in shape to pummel Giuliani if there's any hope the latter's electoral prospects brighten.
• Carroll Gardens parents are in a huff about youthful neighborhood ruffians, who are disrespectul to adults and unmindful of younger children as they engage in shenanigans and otherwise behave like hooligans.

That's the abbreviated version of WABC's recommendations. We suggest reading the whole list, because if you try calling in sick the Tuesday after Memorial Day, your boss probably isn't going to buy it.

A friend who emailed us a few weeks ago to inform us that the Beastie Boys were releasing a new album and that it was going to be all instrumental left us conflicted. We'll admit that the instrumental portion of their last shows at the Garden were great, but we wouldn't consider them highlights, and we generally judge their last tour a high-point of our concert-going existence. A week or so later, this same friend sent us a link to a video that the Beastie Boys released on their site. The video opens in black and white, with the band wearing dark suits and ties; an electric organ starts the song. "Oh no," one might be tempted to think, the Beastie Boys have suffered a middle-aged breakdown and are reincarnating themselves as a subdued Blues Brothers. Anyone concerned that "To the 5 Boroughs" was a farewell album and that the Beastie Boys performance at MSG was some type of NYC farewell address should take comfort in that the trio is not nearly ready to go silent into that good night. That we even hesitated to doubt the born-and-bred New Yorkers leaves us embarrassed.

READING: We've been gushing over filmmaker, performing artist and writer, Miranda July's new book (and its accompanying website), No One Belongs Here More that You. Tonight she reads from her collection of short stories at Paula Cooper Gallery. There she is at left, typing away, and you can listen to her reading on her MySpace.

Like the Blues Brothers, God's Pottery are on a mission from God. But instead of driving through malls or shooting up dope, they're changing the world one youth at a time through inspirational song. All the prayer and hard work have paid off for band members Jeremiah Smallchild and Gideon Lamb because May 21st they'll be recording an EP at Comix for Comedy Central Records. Gothamist sat down with these holy crusaders to do a little Q and A about G-O-D.

If you tuned into WNBC last night at 10 p.m. you may have discovered that NBC’s The Black Donnellys has been canceled and in its place the supposedly funny Thank God You're Here. We loved the gritty drama and the fact that it was filmed on location in the city. As sort of the booby prize, we are getting the rest of the series online, but still that doesn’t really satisfy.

The Rangers dominated the first two periods, building a 2-0 lead behind goals from Jagr and Nylander. Once again, it was short-handed goals that killed them as they gave up two of them to start the third period. They managed to take the lead back off of the power play, but then fell into a tie when Pittsburgh scored on their own power play.

TASTING: Forget wine and cheese...come pair up your favorite fromages with some beer! FreeNYC points us to Bierkraft - Park Slope's proprietor of some of the finest microbrews, cheeses, and chocolates. They're having a pairing of 5 beers with 5 cheese tonight, here's what's on the menu:

writer and performer, popping up on stages at parties and bars across town to rattle off his unique musical blend into the mic. Whether reporting on Comic-Con, waxing lyrical about Alan Moore, performing with Kochie Banton, auditionining for Gizmodo's theme song competition, or throwing wild parties, he puts 100% of himself into the task at hand, and has a wonderful time doing so.

EVENT: Tonight head uptown to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Beats, or more accurately, of Kerouac’s On the Road and Ginsberg's Howl. Join writers, scholars and more. The event will feature Laurie Anderson, Ann Charters, Joyce Johnson, Hettie Jones, Bill Morgan and recordings of Ginsberg. And if you haven't watched this video yet, do it now.

Tomorrow afternoon and evening the public will get the chance to say their goodbyes to James Brown in person, starting at 1 p.m. His close friend Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver a sermon at 7:30 p.m.

The big holiday weekend is upon, and the pickins are slim, here are some things to keep you busy while you start your holiday vacation...

If you count yourself as a New Yorker and a movie lover, it's tough to not have a special affinity for films by Woody Allen. Practically the filmmaker laureate of the city, Allen's prolific 40 plus year career is getting a three week long screening series at Film Forum starting this Friday. Gothamist loves Allen's movies (both the highs and the lows) so much that we thought we'd chat with an Allen expert, Queens College professor Bob Kapsis, about how to plan our screening calendar during "Essentially Woody."

It sounds like an open and shut case: A hip London theater company snatched up some funny short stories by Woody Allen and adapted them for the stage, adding live jazz to punch things up. The stories feature a private dick named Kaiser Lupowitz and absurd cases like the search for the missing Almighty and women of the night who’ll talk Proust for a price. Murder Mystery Blues was a hit when it premiered across the pond, and a transfer to Allen-town seemed like a capital idea.

THEATER: Dance-theatre maverick Pina Bausch returns to the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Nefés, which is described as an ode to Istanbul, 'the city of water'. Originally conceived in 2002, Nefés (Turkish for "breath") “quickly became a life-affirming response to Istanbul's bouts with political upheaval. But rather than echoing the violence, Bausch invests her signature humor and emotional pathos with an acute sense of calm. Set to an eclectic score featuring Turkish songs, tangos from Astor Piazzolla, and classical guitar, Nefés also features massive video screens with which the performers interact.” - John Del Signore

With visions of sugar plum fairies dancing through their heads, the -Ists began to get into that holiday mood. Well, some did.

Edie Sedgwick, "It" girl of the 60s, once said her colorful life could never be accurately portrayed on The Big Screen. However, now it is (though it's accuracy is in question). The actress playing Edie is Sienna Miller, has just finished reshooting some scenes for the movie (called Factory Girl) that is supposed to be out sometime in the next month.

Let's face it, this weekend was made for bonding with your couch, napping and eating leftovers. But if you really want to go against the flow, here are some things to get you out of the house...

After what seems like decades of dragging its feet, it really is going to happen. After tonight's performance by Patti Smith, CBGB's will close its doors on the Bowery for the last time.

THEATER: Among the many great things about the Fringe Festival is that it makes theatre available on Mondays, when almost all venues are usually blacked out. 34 different shows are on today, to be exact, including Armageddon Dance Party, David L. Williams' inspired, hilarious take on our precarious times, in which a couple does what comes naturally when they hear the end of times is nigh: invite people over and crank up the music to drown out the horror and sadness welling up from within. Smart writing and great acting got it a gold star in yesterday's reviews and is the sort of Fringe show that should get an extension, but in case it doesn't be sure to go now. - Mallory Jensen

Did Mayor Bloomberg brind the Country Music Awards to NYC to get some of the heartland vote? Earlier this week, the Norwalk, CT paper "The Hour" asked our Mayor about his presidential aspirations, if any. Mayor Bilng said, "Absolutely not... And anybody who's running will say exactly that." Plus, he made it clear he could pay for a presidential run. Well, duh - he could probably pay for a couple presidential runs, but we thought he was going to become a full-time philanthropist!