Staten Island Style

Staten Island's afro funk collective Budos Band played at Mercury Lounge December 19. These guys are on the Daptone Record label and some of them also play in the Menahan Street Band. 

Budos...yum..

Here is a link to a NYT article about the label. 

And video from the evening from my Flip....

Meditation at MOMA

Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist's "Pour Your Body Out" at the MOMA is the perfect combination of post modern joy and contemplation, relaxtion and a youngster's Gymboree. 

Here is video of some older kids stretching and flexing in the center of the installation.

I fell asleep for an hour and woke up feeling touched in a beautiful way...not in a creepy sense. 

 

Party like a rockstar...

These are some underground parties I must attend.  I miss the costumes, pyrotechnics and community feelings of some of the parties in San Francisco. I'm confident New York City can represent.

The Danger: The Lost City party on New Year's Eve is my choice to ring in 2009. 

Address in Time Out NY: 

January 1: 2am - Sunrise, $30

341 Scholes St. between Bogart St. and Morgan Ave., Williamsburg

www.thedanger.com, newlostcity.com

********* Update: Full details for the Danger party are now up at the link above.  The theme of the party: New Year's Eve 1929. We're already in an economic recession, why not party like it? I'll be drinking gimlets out of a tea cup in a flapper's outfit at 5am, I'm sure. 

Rubulad: Discovered from a Yelp recommendation here's a link to an article about a previous party and here's hoping to attend an event sooner than later. Also from a different source some more information.This is a party warehouse space in Flusing, Queens. Awesome, i hope they throw hip hop nights. 

Resolute: Throwing an 18 hour party at Public Assembly for NYE. Their web site says it'll be the best techno party of the year. There's a DJ from Berlin so this is very tempting competition.

The Party Hard Social Club: Can't find a lot of info on this party but it's worth noting.

 

BZZZZZZZZZZ.....

Thanks Zagat.com for these updates about new openings:

Greenhouse

150 Varrick Street

212-807-7000

Six thousand square feet of eco-friendly walls, lights and general mayhem means NYC's first green nightclub. This new SOHO club is officially L.E.E.D certified. I bet the drinks are still pricey but how San Franciscan of the owners of Home and Guesthouse to bring us this destination where vodka flows from recyclable packages. 

Shang

in the Thompson Hotel on the L.E.S. 

187 Orchard St. 

212-260-7900

Moderately priced Chinese fusion small plates on the Lower East Side brought to you by Toronto's Susur Lee. 

 

What the hell is the internet?

These are some web sites I recently discovered: 

www.break.com: 

Web site that broke the Australian kid who threw a house party while his parents were out of town's "I look good, I'm not taking off my sunglasses" while on a news program. 

www.fimoculous.com:

Discovered this web site as part of NY Magazine's "The Approval Matrix" section. It put their list of year-end lists in the section headed towards lowbrow brilliant. 

www.thedailybeast.com

Tina Brown has had an amazing career in publishing from Vanity Fair to the New Yorker. This is her website for observations and news links.  

Hanukkah...I like

Erran Barron Cohen, brother of Ali G's Sasha Barron Cohen, just released a Hanukkah album entitled "Songs in the key of Hanukkah" and it's not half bad:) Certainly a better jewish equivalent than the singular "Dominic the Donkey." 

Here's some highlights:

Track 1: Hip hop beats featuring Jules Brookes and Y- Love

Track 7: A lovely song with the incomparable Idan Raichel 

Stitch and Bitch

Alas, fabulous music venue The Knitting Factory will be closing it's NYC location come January 1, 2009. The club, which also has a location in Hollywood, will supposedly re-open in Brooklyn. 

I've seen a Xui Xui concert here, when some guy opened who billed himself as "Your mother has cancer" proceeded to yell that over and over into a microphone. I also had a ridiculous party night here and snuck into a reggae show/Queer as Folk hardcore party!? 

Yep, you could pretty much find the craziest stuff at this three floor venue. I'm dying to see a final show before the doors close for good, I just pray they don't turn the space into condos or apartments. 

I can't believe I missed Q-tip play here with Busta Rhymes in October. Damn. 

Here's some greatness coming up before the end:

1. December 17:  Michael Showalter, Jon Glaser and Eugene Mirman bid farewell to the Knit, music from Tigers and Monkeys

2. December 19: Rakim and other great hip hop and rap acts