2012 Summer Concerts
06 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: Arturo Sandoval, ChristyFest, Danny Kay and the Nightlifers, Esperanza Spalding, Farmageddon Fest, Husky Burnette, Jimmy Cliff, Lone Wolf OMB, Muddy Roots, Olds Sleeper, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Robert "Fireball" Mitchell, Sean K. Preston, Ten Foot Polecats, The Goddamn Gallows
It’s barely May and I already have a beefy list going. I’ll update it as I find out more.
Saturday, May 12th = ChristyFest, Shippensburg, PA
Friday, May 18th = Husky Burnette: Rodeo Bar, NYC
Tuesday, June 5th = Jimmy Cliff: Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park
Friday, June 8th = The Goddamn Gallows: The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY
Friday, June 15th = Esperanza Spalding: Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park
Saturday, June 16th = Ice T’s rockdoc “The Art of Rap“
Sunday, July 1st = Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: Brooklyn Bowl
Saturday, July 21st = Arturo Sandoval: Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park
Friday, July 27th – Sunday, July 29th = Farmageddon Fest in West Yellowstone, Montana (I’ll be there in spirit!)
Friday, August 31st – Sunday, September 2nd = Muddy Roots in Cookeville, TN
Home
01 Jan 2012 5 Comments
in Brooklyn
Of all the horrors and nightmares my life has served up, one of the things I’m luckiest for is where I live now. The story of how I got here is a gem in itself: After being evicted out of Harlem in the early-90s, I landed a roommate share near Gramercy Park in Manhattan in a pre-war 5th floor walk-up for $250/month which I barely afforded on my security guard minimum wage pay. The apartment gave a new meaning to tiny. It was built before indoor plumbing so the new amenities meant the toilet was outside the apartment in a tiny room in the hallway. The shower was in the kitchen and ran off the sink. My bedroom (later converted into an actual bathroom) was 7′x7′ and the walls were lined with clothing racks from my roommates pimp period style of dress. There was no room for a bed. I slept on a stained futon chair and watched a mini television the year OJ Simpson was chased by the police in his white SUV. More
Rachel Brooke and James Hunnicut stayed at MY house!
30 Jun 2011 2 Comments
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: James Hunnicutt, Laura Rebel Angel, Otto's Shrunken Head, Rachel Brooke
Last weekend James Hunnicutt and Rachel Brooke came into the city to sing at Otto’s Shrunken Head. The gig was fantastic. Their voices are so pure and perfect, their souls pour out in each note.
Before the gig I got a chance to walk them around a bit to get pizza near Irving Plaza then to Union Square and back. Hopefully, on their next visit to the city we’ll have more time to see Times Square and Rockefeller Center and Central Park and Brooklyn and everywhere!
After the gig (at dawn) we headed to my place to crash for a few hours before they had to hit the road again. In a moment of awesomeness, they sang a song for me in my kitchen and I YouTube’d it:
The experience was fantastic as I’ve been such a fan this is a little dream come true.
2011 NYC Summer Concerts
04 Jun 2011 4 Comments
in Brooklyn, Gigs I Wanna See, Gigs I'm Going to See, Music Tags: A Tribe Called Quest, Afro-Punk Festival, Bang Sway, Beats Rhymes and Life, Bob Wayne, Caitlin Rose, Calamity Cubes, Cee Lo Green, Celebrate Brooklyn, Cerebral Ballzy, Cletus Got Shot, Cutthroat Shamrock, Dale Watson, Fishbone, Foothill Fury, Goddamn Gallows, Gordon Voidwell, Hellbillies, Hellbound Glory, Highlonesome, Hillbilly Casino, James Hunnicutt, Janelle Monae, Jay Electronica, Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band, JB Beverley & The Wayward Drifters, Joi, Justin Townes Earle, Last False Hope, Laura Rebel Angel, Left Lane Cruiser, Mark Porkchop Holder, Maxwell's, McDougall, Mercury Lounge, Muddy Roots Festival, Ninjasonik, O’Death, Otto's Shrunken Head, Outlaw BBQ, Owen Mays, Porter Hall Tennessee, Possessed By Paul James, Q-Tip, Rachel Brooke, Reggie Watts, Res, Rev Deadeye, Rocky Business, Ruby Jane, Santigold, Scissormen, Slackeye Slim, Smokestack, Soda, Straight Line Stitch, Ten Foot Pole Cats, The Perreze Farm, Toro Y Moi, Toshi Reagon, Valentine's, Wayne Hancock
It’s summertime summertime sum-sum-summertime! Time for music awesomeness!
Here’s my list SO FAR…
Friday, June 10th = Dale Watson at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ
Saturday, June 11th = Bang Sway at Private Rooftop Partay (email me for deets)
Saturday, June 25th = Rachel Brooke and James Hunnicutt at Otto’s Shrunken Head
Thursday, June 30th = Justin Townes Earle at Prospect Park Bandshell
Saturday, July 2nd = Possessed by Paul James at Valentine’s in Albany
Monday, July 4th = Bob Wayne at the Outlaw BBQ
Friday, July 8th = Beats, Rhymes and Life an ATCQ documentary film opens
Saturday, July 16th = Q-Tip at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
Saturday, August 20th = Caitlin Rose at the Mercury Lounge
Saturday & Sunday August 27-28th = Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn, NY
Saturday & Sunday September 3.4th = Muddy Roots Festival in Cookeville, TN
Saturday, October 22nd = Ruby Jane in Titusville, NJ
Just Say No to ZipCar
08 May 2011 2 Comments
in Brooklyn, Product Review Tags: Zip Car, ZipCar
I don’t have a car, I don’t need a car, I don’t want a car. Parking in my neighborhood is an exercise in futility, gas prices are ridiculous, and insuring even a shitbox is astronomical. Renting an economy class car in the city is $150/day plus gas & tolls. So basically, I never drive. I’ve heard good things about ZipCar as they’re less than rentals and you can choose a snazzy car super close, and gas is included. More
The New York Times Discovers Brooklyn
31 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn Tags: Brian Williams, Brooklyn, New York Times
HA!!
Lil’ Kim “Black Friday Mixtape”
19 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: Biggie, Black Friday, La Bella Mafia, Lil Kim, Mixtape, Naked Truth, Notorious K.I.M.
When Grammy Award Winning Lil’ Kim released her response, Black Friday, to Nikki Minaj’s dis on YouTube I got all kinds of Christmas excited for a new joint. Notorious K.I.M., La Bella Mafia, and Naked Truth albums still spin in my collection. She was Biggie’s girl (no disrespect to Faith Hill) and I respect her as the Queen Bee of hip-hop. This woman was there when it started and wrote the blueprint. What happened? More
Decoded by Jay-Z
23 Nov 2010 1 Comment
in Art, Brooklyn, Music, Philanthropy, Politics, Technology, Television Tags: Biggie, Decoded, Jay-Z, The Blueprint III, Tupac Empire State of Mind
It took hip-hop an entire year to draw breath and now I’m being blinded by the lights of Jay-Z, Beyonce & Kanye. Looking through my music collection, I realize I didn’t buy much hip-hop this year. Then in a bolt of press releases, Kanye and Jay-Z are dropping records and Beyonce has a huge TV special Thanksgiving night. Jay-Z is doing a re-release with a few new tunes and Rolling Stone gave Kanye’s new one five stars. If I still respected RS, I would be impressed. And there’s a Jay-Z book.
Jay-Z’s last album, The Blueprint III, blew my doors off. I hadn’t been the level of a fan with him where I had opinions about entire albums. I liked songs here and there. At work, we tried to focus on a favorite and would just keep bringing up lyrics or hooks or concepts. I heard it everywhere. A party didn’t happen without a spin of Empire State of Mind and when he sang it at the opening Yankee game of the World Series, everyone knew the lyrics. Now that he’s on my radar, I’m finding out all sorts of great info. The guy is a media genius. He’s worth gazillions of dollars and he did it DIY. This book is a glimpse into all that. More
My Neighbor… The Rocket Scientist
18 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Science, Technology Tags: Luke Geissbuhler
A father-son team from Park Slope decided NASA wasn’t doing enough to document the stratosphere, and decided to take matters into their own hands. After testing their “19-inch helium filled weather balloon” in Brooklyn, Luke Geissbuhler and his son Max headed upstate and launched the device, complete with a camera, into space…
I Love My Hood
16 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: Elle King, Epick, I Don't Mind, Park Slope
My neighbor, Erica, turned me on to this slice of awesomeness. It’s my new fave song & video. And it was filmed in my neighborhood!
Hank III Live! Again!
18 Sep 2010 4 Comments
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: Adam McOwen, Andy Gibson, Daniel Mason, DaveyMac, Gary Lindsey, Hank III, Sean McWilliams, Zach Shedd
This year’s Hank III shows were EPIC. We saw him play for 3 hours on Tuesday night at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, NY and then another 3 hours the next at Williamsburg Music Hall. I’m spent. I’ve sported a goofy grin all day. What a great tour to end what will be known as “The Curb Years”. More
BROOKLYN TORNADO 2010
18 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Uncategorized Tags: Brooklyn, Park Slope, Tornado
5:24 PM: I was on the Upper East Side tweeting about the can lady yapping on her Blackberry when the first raindrops hit. I went underground into the subway and got out at my Brooklyn stop around a half hour later. The first thing I noticed was the gigantic tree limbs all over the sidewalk where the fruit guy’s cart should be. Then I saw the corner building scaffolding collapsed in a gigantic heap. I assumed a ginormo lightening bolt or a series of them (is that possible?) hit the corner. Then I saw the fruit stand guy looking shaken and my neighbors around him offering comfort. As I walked down the street, the tree carnage did not end. Leaves and branches were everywhere and cars were trashed. My mind went into detective mode trying to figure out what possibly could have caused such widespread chaos all the way to my apartment.
I have since taken a walk around and everything will be OK. Some of my neighbors have whopping insurance claims to be filed and argued.
Nerdalicious!
20 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Music, Science Tags: Brooklyn, Eels, Hugh Everett, Mark Everett, Max Tegmark, Parallel Lives, parallel universe, Parallel Worlds, quantum mechanics, Schrodinger’s Cat, Secret Science Club, The Secret Science Club, Theory of Parallel Universes
Can time move backward? Has the future already happened? Are meetings of the Secret Science Club forbidden in a parallel universe? Uh-oh . . .
Tuesday, August 24, 8 PM @ the Bell House, Free: The Secret Science Club presents a mind-blowing screening of “Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives,” with commentary by our in-house scientists
Singer-songwriter Mark Everett of the band Eels grew up not knowing that his father, Hugh Everett, was a genius—to him, his dad was the chain-smoking guy who didn’t say much at the dinner table. The fact that Hugh Everett was one of the world’s pre-eminent quantum mechanics, the physicist who came up with the Theory of Parallel Universes was just one more thing they didn’t discuss. Sadly, Hugh Everett’s theory was so revolutionary and so trippy that its elegance and importance were not recognized until well after his death. (Mark Everett was just 18 when he found his father lying dead at age of 51 on the family’s couch.) “Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives” chronicles the journey of the musical-but-math-challenged son to learn more about his father’s profound contributions to science and the “Many Worlds” in which we all—for better or worse—may play out different versions of ourselves. More
Hank III News Update
12 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I'm Going to See, Music Tags: Arson Anthem, Assjack, Collin Yeo, Curb Records, Down, Eyehategod, Hank III, Insecurity Notoriety, Mike IX Williams, Outlaw Order, Pantera, Phil Anselmo, Ponykiller, Superjoint Ritual
A flood of awesome
ness is coming from the Hank III camp. First and foremost, he will be gigging with Asskjack here next month. Because he keeps the ticket prices so low ($23), we get to see him twice. (You can find the tour schedule here.) This is the last tour he’ll do with Curb Records and everything will change on December 31st. It sure has been an great ride so far. He hasn’t had the easiest of lives and it’s all laid out in front of us through his lyrics and interviews. He’s followed in the artistic footsteps of his lineage and masters like Henry Rollins and all the other great performers that do it 110% from their soul, regardless of what industry had to say.
Because of life-happens circumstances, he’s been bound in a tough record contract for the past decade+. Fighting tooth and nail, he’s had to carve out his own way and bring up his friends with him. I wonder if he’ll take off the dog chain around his neck on New Year’s Eve. More
Don’t Frack Up My Bagels!
07 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Food Tags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bagels, fracking, Governor Patterson, Le Bagel Delight, Terrance Bagels, water
I normally shy away from posting political stuff but this has to do with bagels, and the only thing I love more than Brooklyn is that I live 121 feet away from Le Bagel Delight. According to FIPS, Governor Patterson is fracking with our water (Fracking entails pouring gazillions of gallons of chemically-treated water deep underground, in order to break into a shale-protected motherlode of natural gas deposits [think lots of dinero for somebody]. All cocktail ingredients exempted from Clean Water Act disclosure rules). Not cool. So sign the petition to SAVE NEW YORK BAGELS!! (and the water supply for the the rest of non-bagel entities like us and our wildlife, eco system, pets and power)
Louis over at Terrace Bagels has gone the extra mile and posted this on YouTube:
Lucky Tubb and the Modern Day Troubadours
26 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I've Seen, Music Tags: Lucky Tubb
Last night, we were graced with the presence of Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours. I expected the show to be sold out and Public Assembly packed to the gills, but the Northside Music Festival seemed to trump all in Williamsburg. Us devotees did get a great show 
I got a chance to hang out with Lucky a bit and he was his usual easy going gentleman self. We talked about his new cd, Hillbilly Fever, and how the hidden track (which is my favorite) “Looks Like Rain” was done on the fly at the end of recording. They had a few minutes to fill and Lucky pretty much improvised it. It’s Tom Waits esqe and hauntingly beautiful. This man is no one trick pony. He’s coming back to Brooklyn in November and I’ll keep you posted on dates and venues.
Summer Shows 2010
11 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I Wanna See, Gigs I'm Going to See, Music Tags: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Carole King, Central Park, Central Park Summerstage, Ebony Bones, Good Morning America, James Taylor, Jayke Orvis, Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours, Mary J. Blige, Prospect Park Bandshell, Public Assembly, Rumsey Playfield, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Southpaw, Talib Kweli, The Bell House, The Goddamn Gallows, The Roots, The Today Show, Viva le Vox, Wayne the Train Hancock
Summer Show list 2010 is coming together! All shows are free or cheap and if you know anything that I don’t please email me at Gillian dot Grey at yahoo dot com. Thanks!
Sunday, May 23rd 10 PM = Wayne the Train Hancock @ Public Assembly
Saturday, June 5th 4 PM = Ebony Bones @ Central Park Summer Stage
Sunday, June 6th 8 PM = Ebony Bones @ Southpaw
Friday, June 18th 7 AM = Carole King and James Taylor @ The Today Show
Friday, June 25th 8 PM = Lucky Tubb and the Modern Day Troubadours @ Public Assembly
Friday, July 2nd 7 AM = Mary J. Blige @ GMA Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Saturday, July 10th 12 PM = Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival @ Tobacco Warehouse (BK Bridge)
Saturday, July 10th 8 PM = The Goddamn Gallows @ The Bell House’s Annual Psychobilly Luau
Sunday, July 11th 3 PM = The Roots with Talib Kweli @ The Prospect Park Bandshell
Monday, July 12th 7:30 PM = George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ Wingate Field
Friday, July 23rd 8 PM = Viva le Vox @ Southpaw
Saturday, August 7th 6 PM = Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ Prospect Park Bandshell
Sunday, August 22nd 4 PM = Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Central Park Summer Stage
The Goddamn Gallows!
15 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I've Seen, Music Tags: Jayke Orvis, The Goddamn Gallows
Whadda Show! They SOLD OUT the place on a snowy crappy Sunday night! Such fun! They have energy to spare and showmanship in spades! I’ve never seen such dexterity and everyone knows how to play everything! When these guys blow through town, you really must catch the show!
The lead singer is a master showman and the band follows his zany antics wtih glee! I’ll get everyone’s name and update this as soon as I can. (I’m updating from work…shhhhh….)
And yes, Jayke Orvis is as talented and fun as ever. I am enjoying checking his gigs and following his path.
UPDATE: You wanna know what the show was like? Buy the cd!!
Goddamn Gallows Coming to Brooklyn!
18 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I'm Going to See, Music Tags: Brooklyn, Jayke Orvis, The Goddamn Gallows
02/28/1o at 8 PM at Public Assembly in Williamsburg
’nuff said
SNOW!
20 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Uncategorized Tags: Brooklyn, NYC, Park Slope, snow
I love the first snowfall!
Family Feud at Café Regular
25 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Verbal Ramblings Tags: cafe regular, cafe regular du nord, Park Slope
Aaasss usual, FIPS keeps me in the know.
A Grub Street tipster sent an e-mail over the weekend about unwelcome changes to Park Slope’s Café Regular. “Martin O’Connell, the legendarily sarcastic wizard of the espresso machine, was ousted by his sister Anne this week,” the tipster wrote. A source close to Martin confirmed the family breach to Grub Street today. The siblings had been squabbling since the opening of Café Regular du Nord back in July, but it was some promotional postcards that finalized the breach. Designed by an employee, Richard (who managed du Nord) and Martin were distributing these postcards to customers. Anne didn’t like them and told the brothers to stop giving them out. Richard quit over the micromanagement, and Martin sided with his brother. Martin declined to comment to Grub Street, Richard did not return calls or texts, and several calls to Anne at Café Regular went to message saying the voice-mail system had not been connected. “It’s really a Royal Tenenbaums level of dysfunction,” said the source. More
Scott H. Biram plays Brooklyn
18 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I've Seen, Music Tags: Ain't it a Shame, Scott H. Biram, Still Drunk Still Crazy Still Blue, Union Hall
We got to see Scott H. Biram play Union Hall August 6th and it was a fantastic show. The video of my favorite song by him (this week) is Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue is here:
The .357 String Band Minus Jayke
14 Jun 2009 2 Comments
in Brooklyn, Music, Verbal Ramblings Tags: Jayke Orvis, The .357 String Band
Dude what the hell? I just read on Jayke’s blog that The .357 String Band gave him the boot. “for the record, the discussion of dropping me like a groupie was done behind close doors and absolutely behind my back. the conversation was 2 minutes long, and one minute of that was me thinking they were joking.”
We were lucky enough to catch their set when they opened for Joe Buck and they wound up crashing at my place after the gig. (Band photo in front of my apartment with Jayke far right) It was a joy to be cool enough to host musicians and Jayke and I got a chance to get to know each other on the supermarket breakfast run. He’s a hell of a nice guy who is devoted to his band, art and music. I have both their cds and they are absolutely worth the purchase.
I hope nothing but the best for the band and I look forward to following Jayke’s musical career as this is in no way the end of opportunities that await him. He’s immensely talented and gorgeous and sweet. I wish him success and happiness.
SAVE LUCKY 13!
31 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Music Tags: Brooklyn, Hank III, Lucky 13 Bar
COME ON METAL HEADS! This is the only METAL bar in Brooklyn! They even got an autographed Hank III poster!
This place is cool! We can’t let it die. WE JUST CAN’T! I’m just gonna bring my change bucket and drink ’til it’s empty.
Job Fairs Suck My Soul Dry
30 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Verbal Ramblings Tags: Job Fair, Unemployment
Look. I try to be positive. I do. But the longer I’m unemployed, the harder it is. And I know it’s the economy and I know this is a monumentally BAD time in the job market, but that doesn’t make me feel less of a loser and bump on the log of society. I’ve sent out zillions of resumes into the ether and it’s so bad that I actually get psyched when I get a rejection letter because that at least means someone looked at my application before rejecting me.
I try new ideas. I’ll try anything at this point. I NEED A JOB. More
Summer Shows 2009
26 May 2009 2 Comments
in Brooklyn, Gigs I Wanna See, Gigs I'm Going to See, Music Tags: 2009 Summer Concerts, 6 Day Bender, Assjack, Betty LaVette, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Hank III, Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours, Saratoga Jazz Festival, Scott H. Biram, WFMU Record Fair
Thurs. June 4th = 6 Day Bender @ Hank’s Saloon here in Brooklyn (FREE)
Sat. June 20th = Dead Prez @ Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival ($10)
Tue. June 23rd = Hank III & Assjack w/Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours @ Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT ($20)
Wed. June 24th = Hank III & Assjack w/Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours @ Music Hall of Williamsburg here in Brooklyn ($20)
Sat. June 27th & Sun. June 28th = Dave Brubeck Quartet, Saratoga Jazz Festival @ SPAC in Saratoga Springs, NY ($40 each day)
Thu. August 6th = Scott H Biram @ Union Hall here in Brooklyn
Fri. October 23 – Sunday Oct. 25th = WFMU Record Fair (dude, it’s Christmas in October!)
* Every Sunday is the African Drumming Circle at Drummer’s Grove in Prospect Park, Brooklyn (FREE)
*** If there are any shows that you know of that I’ll like and that are free or cheap, lemmie know by shooting me an email at gillian dot grey at yahoo dot com
Wayne “The Train” Hancock plays Brooklyn
22 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Gigs I've Seen, Music Tags: Bob Hoffnar, Brooklyn, Huck, James Hunnicutt, Live, Wayne Hancock
Last night at Jalopy in Red Hook, Wayne Hancock and his band played one hellofa gig. We sang and danced in the isles! He did new songs and old songs and fun songs and sad songs. The place was full which is always good to see since I don’t much associate juke joint swing with Brooklyn.
The band was tight had fun with the gig. Bob Hoffnar on steel guitar was the obvious yankee and so talented. James Hunnicutt has stepped in just fine on one of the most beautiful guitars I’ve ever seen. And I can’t for the life of me remember the stand up bass player (Huck?!), that was the hugest bass I’ve ever seen in my life!
Wayne was in a goofy mood and pretty much played whatever the crowd asked him to. I’m glad I’ve been introduced to his music since two of my favorite Hank III songs are written by him.
I’ll absolutely be there next time he comes to town and the times after that.
Puppy in tha hood
08 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Brooklyn, Verbal Ramblings Tags: Charlie Pup, Eric Rochow, Ford Fiesta Movement, Gardenfork TV, Henry, Labrador, Park Slope, puppy, Real World Green, serious cuteness, Stoop, Twitter, yellow lab
My neighbor, Eric Rochow, is a cook, gardener, handyman, host of Real World Green & Gardenfork TV. He’s an interesting guy to follow on Twitter and he’s part of the Ford Fiesta Movement. (I don’t think there’s much he doesn’t do.) My favorite reason for him being our neighbor are his beautiful Labradors. There’s now a new puppy in the hood and we’re all falling over ourselves with cuteness updates:
