It's summertime and the time is right...time for cars and guitars, surf and turf at Cha Cha's on the Coney Island boardwark!
Here's alllll the info for the events this weekend. If you're like me and have nothing to do, maybe you'll swing down to catch some tunes, some tan and some titties (there's always a huge burlesque show involved. Yeah, I know, that was an alliteration stretch there...).
Friday Night, September 3rd Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk Viva Le Vox (Davy Jones Locker, FL) Guitar Bomb (Brooklyn, NY) King Sickabilly (Providence, RI) Hickry Hawkins and The Panty-Sniffers (Charlotte, NC) The Holy Roller Sideshow (NYC) Live Burlesque and Sideshow $12 advance / $15 at the door
Saturday, September 4th On the Outdoor Stage Hickry Hawkins (Charlotte, NC) Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers (Brooklyn, NY) Elsa Cross (Dover, NH) Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. (New York City, NY) - these guys are worth going to see all by themselves! $8 advance / $10 at the door
Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk Tombstone Brawlers (New Jersey) Jason James and the Bay State House Rockers (Worcester, MA) Mean Mean Man and the Brass Knuckle Band (Charlotte,NC) The Hollowbody Hellraisers (Gainesville, FL) Live Burlesque and Sideshow $12 advance / $15 at the door
Sunday, September 5th On the Outdoor Stage Nick Williams and The Anteaters (Staten Island, NY) The Mallard Drakes (Brooklyn, NY) The Krank Daddies (Chicago, IL) Tex Railer’s Doomtown (Allston, MA) $8 advance / $10 at the door
Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk Sasquatch and the Sickabillys (Providence, RI) - featuring my buddy Bobcat on guitar! The Memphis Morticians (NYC) - one of my favorite Psychobilly bands in the city! Soul Reapin' 3 (New Haven, CT) Creepin’ Cadavers (Amity, MA) Live Burlesque and Sideshow $12 advance / $15 at the door
Monday, September 6th(Remember...no work today!) Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk The 2010 Miss Pin Up Coney Island Contest, Hosted by Eddie Dickfingers Matty B and The Dirty Pickles (Erie, PA) Nerve Tonic (Dirty Jersey) Filthy Still (Providence, RI) Electraluxx (Garfield, NJ)
I'm not going to Myspace link all those bands right now, but you can find more info.....uh, basically in one place (and there's not much more info than that!). Rockabilly events in NYC - always pretty awesome, never very organized...everybody too busy wrenchin' and drinkin', I suppose.
It's that time again, kiddos, for those of us in the NYC area to get our fill of flames, open exhaust pipes and slap bass at the 10th Annual Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills show under the BQE, right near Union Pool.
It's only $10 to see the bands over at Union Pool, including my ol' friend Bobcat's band the Arkhams, Al & the Black Cats, Labretta Suede and the Motel 6, Rehab for Quitters, and Those Hated Hearts. I've never heard of any of those other bands, but I'm always up for good music, and have yet to be disappointed at a Rumblers show. I also have no idea what the band schedule is, as I can't find the info anywhere (the Rumblers always seem a little disorganized when it comes to promoting their yearly show, but whatever). They also have a Facebook page now, which might have more info as the week goes on. Union Pool doesn't even have a real website yet (no surprise there), and neither their Myspace page or their new blog say anything about this event either. Oh silly, lazy hipsters.
Holy Haley's Comet, Spaceman! It has come to my attention that the ever amazing Man...or Astroman? is heading to the East Coast to play some shows after some triumphant sets during this year's SXSW.
Having somehow missed out on seeing them play in their heyday (mid to late 90's), I am happy to report that tickets go on sale this Friday for their shows at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan (11/12) and the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn (11/13), where I will be, with my 9 volt tongue.
Check out more photos from a recent show in Toronto at Brooklyn Vegan.
Hey there! Do you like music, art and comics? Do you think it's a fucking shame that so many print publications are disappearing faster than endangered turtles in the oil-filled Gulf of Mexico? Do you want to reach out a helping hand and do some awesome strangers a favor, boosting your rock-and-roll-karma-quotient???
Well then have I got a charity case for you!
Royal Flush Magazine is primed to put out issue #7 of their acclaimed magazine, read by more than 50,000 of the most serious fans of music, art,comics, rock and roll culture, street culture, skateboarding, grafitti, pro wrestling, political satire and so much more. But like every other great, grassroots publication, they are in need of some cold, hard cash to keep their demented dream alive.
What do you get for putting your money in RF's proverbial print g-string?:
Pledge $5 or more(the cost of an extra pint of beer here in the city!) Receive a free Royal Flush Magazine bookmark and Hispanic Batman collector's pin.
Pledge $10 or more(cheaper than a pack of NYC smokes!) Receive a free Royal Flush Book 7 PDF edition, a Royal Flush Magazine bookmark and Hispanic Batman collector's pin.
Pledge $25 or more(about the cost of a pair of tickets to one of those lame-ass new 3D movies everybody is pissing themselves to see) Receive a free copy of Royal Flush Book 7 upon release of the book in October 2010, a Royal Flush Magazine bookmark and Hispanic Batman collector's pin.
Pledge $50 or more(the cost of ten days worth of McDonald's lunches...save your fat ass AND support a good cause!) Receive a free copies of Royal Flush Books 6 & 7 upon release of the book in October 2010, a Royal Flush Magazine bookmark and Hispanic Batman collector's pin.
Pledge $100 or more(less than your tab after a depressing night getting lap dances by aging, herpes-farm strippers at your local girlie bar) (LIMITED REWARD) Receive a personalized thank you printed in the pages of Royal Flush Book 7. You will also receive copies of Royal Flush Magazine, Books 4,5,6,7 A bookmark and a collector's pin
...Don't think you can afford to pledge more than $100 to anything these days? Well guess what, my friend, overspending is as American as Apple Fuckin' Pie!!! Someone will bail you out later!
Pledge $200 or more (LIMITED REWARD) Receive a personalized thank you printed in the pages of Royal Flush Book 7. Your copy of Royal Flush Book 7 will be autographed by all the book's contributors. Royal Flush 18"x24" silkscreen print of Joan Jett, signed and numbered by Flush artist Josh Bernstein, limited to only 200 prints A Royal Flush bookmark and a Hispanic Batman collector's pin
Pledge $500 or more (LIMITED REWARD) An illustrated portrait of the donor by one of Royal Flush's top contributors on archival paper and signed by the artist, Receive a personalized thank you printed in the pages of Royal Flush Book 7. Your copy of Royal Flush Book 7 will be autographed by all the book's contributors. Royal Flush Magazine issues 4,5,6 Royal Flush 18"x24" silkscreen print of Joan Jett, signed and numbered by Flush artist Josh Bernstein, limited to only 200 prints A Royal Flush bookmark and a Hispanic Batman collector's pin
Pledge $1,000 or more (LIMITED REWARD) An illustrated portrait of the donor by one of Royal Flush's top contributors on archival paper and signed by the artist that will appear in Royal Flush Book 7. A copy of Royal Flush Book 4 signed by My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way Your copy of Royal Flush Book 7 will be autographed by all the book's contributors. Royal Flush Magazine issues 4,5,6 Royal Flush 18"x24" silkscreen print of Joan Jett, signed and numbered by Flush artist Josh Bernstein, limited to only 200 prints Royal Flush Poster Set (5 classic Royal Flush offset poster prints) A Royal Flush bookmark and a Hispanic Batman collector's pin
What are you waiting for?? As Mike Shinoda, from LINKIN PARK verifies**: "I wish they had ROYAL FLUSH when I was a kid–I would have stood in front of the mailbox waiting for it." DO IT!!!
**While this is a real life endorsement for Royal Flush Magazine (one of many), I still believe Linkin Park sucks, and this was used strictly for ironic purposes.**
Woah nelly! Another rockabilly music festival in Brooklyn?? What the hell is going on here! I just heard about one going on from the 16th - 18th of July at the Warsaw in Greenpoint called the Rebel Night Weekender, but didn't post about it because I just didn't have the time. That one is much more traditional rockabilly sounding (The Trashmen, Sit & Die Co., a lot fewer bands), but who knows! Could totally rock.
So about the Luau: a few weeks ago I was at my friend Mike Fisher's band's show at the Lit Lounge in the LES. Mike's band is called D.I.S., punky death metal at its finest! Mike is also a great artist; check out his work at www.maxiumumflouride.net. While there, I met a guy who works for Rebel Angel productions, and though I forget his name (I wrote it down somewhere but lost that piece of paper), he was super nice and told me about how Rebel Angle had recently put on the first Deadbolt show in ages a little while back and said I should check out their site.
Rebel Angel is putting on music events for the hot rod set in NYC constantly, and the Psychobilly Luau, already in it's 4th year, is coming up next weekend! Good thing I finally got around to looking at their website, eh?
Psychobilly Luau @ the Bell House, July 10th & 11th, Brooklyn NY.
In addition to a zillion great bands playing over the two days, there will be all kinds of other rod-related revelry to partake in: sideshows, vendors, fashion shows, burlesque dancers, hot rods, BBQ, contests and more!
Just check out the list of bands: (Saturday July 10th - ALL AGES!!) GUANA BATZ (Midnight) The Goddamn Gallows (10:45) Memphis Morticians (9:45) The Hypnophonics (8:45) Stellar Corpses (7:45) Psycho Charger (6:45) The Arkhams (5:45) The Othermen (5:00) Viva Le Vox (4:15) The Rebel Angels (3:30)
(Sunday July 11th - 21+ only) THE NEANDERTHALS The Swingin' Neckbreakers Jukebox Jodi & her 45s Labretta Suede and The Motel 6 The Thunderfucks King Sickabilly One Man Band Thee Atomic Cavemen Amy Rose and Her Trouble Makers The Twang Bangers (Germany)
Damn...that's a lot. Tickets can be found on the Rebel Angel website and are $25 for Saturday, $20 for Sunday and $40 for a weekend pass. See you there!
My buddy Adam Swinbourne, who is the evil mastermind behind lots of great artwork, including tons of shit over the years for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and this little gem (guess who?) -
- just informed me that Eric Davidson (founding member of the New Bomb Turks) is going to be participating in an evening called, "The Greatest Three-Minute Rock 'n' Roll Story Ever" at Matchless bar in Greenpoint (Brooklyn, NY). According to Eric's Facebook page (there is no info on it that I can find on the Matchless website):
"Hey Brooklyners, I've been asked to wax rhapsodic at this event, so come on down... Greatest Three-Minute Rock 'n' Roll Story Ever. Writers, rockers, and raconteurs telling three-minute stories about the best rock 'n' roll shows ever. Thursday, Feb. 11th, 8pm @ Bar Matchless 557 Manhattan Ave. Greenpoint"
Sounds like an evening worth attending. Here's some more information from the JDub Records website...
Stories from: Jami Attenberg (Author, The Melting Season) Justin Taylor (Author, Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever) Franz Nicolay (Musician/Writer, The Hold Steady/Complicated Gardening Techniques) Zachary German (Author, Eat When You Feel Sad) Adam Wilson (Managing Editor, The Faster Times) Nick Gazin (Artist, Vice Magazine) Franz Nicolay (formerly of The Hold Steady) Jens Carstensen (The Giraffes) James Yeh (Gigantic) Aaron Hartman (Old Time Relijun/Girls in Trouble) Kendra Grant Malone (Poet, author of the chapbook Conor Oberst Sex) Mike Conklin (L Magazine) Chelsea Hodson (poet) Lincoln Michel (Fiction writer, The Faster Times) Samuel Carter (Overflow Magazine) Derek Evers (Impose Magazine) Aaron Lefkove (Livefastdie/Liquor Store) Maura Johnston (Village Voice / The Awl) More TBA
As the purveyor of a website/blog about classic car culture, you might imagine that I'm probably semi-conflicted when it comes to my personal feelings about technology. It's not that I don't find it fascinating, useful or important, because god knows there are incredible things that happen in our world today that are a direct result of motherboards, processors, alternative fuels and stem cell research. My general "disdain for technology" (which is going to be a problem if I ever want to get a job designing apps for iPhones, I guess) is largely because the more we rely on the technology around us every day to do things for us, the more our brains rot into useless piles of mush that are reliant upon technology to do anything.
Some would argue that having technological devices around to take some of the weight off our ever more overburdened minds actually provides us an extra modicum of much needed free mental real estate. Our iBookBerryAlarmPhonePods keep all our daily menial appurtenances (what should I eat for dinner? What's that woman's phone number?) in order, so that we can ponder recreational things, like whether Dysgenics is actually a real issue worth addressing in our society or a made-up scientific-sounding term that racist people use to sound smart.
Perhaps one of my personal favorite "side-effects" of technology is the advent of the Podcast. Less that five years ago I was still that girl on the subway platform, trying to change mix CDs in my Walkman, multiple plastic discs on the tips of my fingers like olives, glaring disdainfully (ok, let's not lie here) jealously at the white earbuds of the other passengers nearby.
I will still proudly boast that I never spent a cent on my iPod (Xmas gift), but I instantly became a convert. First, I was relieved not to be carrying around half my CD collection in my already gargantuan purse, and secondly, when I can listen to hours of talk radio (not where you thought I was goin, was it!? Ha!) without a car or a radio...life has become truly perfect.
And that brings me to the point of this whole unintelligible mess of poorly though out sentences (and I'd also like to point out that having spent the last five years writing mostly on a computer has ruined my ability to spell without Auto Spellcheck, damnit. I used to be a grammar and spelling QUEEN.)....THE POINT - is that it just dawned on me the other day that I can listen to one of my favorite radio shows of all time...
That's right, Click and Clack, every morning with me on my underground commute to work. (And yes, I really did just realize they have podcasts like, two days ago.) My hour long ride is now much less like suffering in the a packed cattle car, soaked in urine and cheap cologne and more like sitting on the back porch with two imaginary gear-happy uncles beguiling me with their anecdotal automobile apologues. Previous sentence brought to you by Thesaurus.com.
Visit the Car Talk websiteto download episodes to stream the latest episode when you are stuck desk jockeying in your cubicle for a few hours, or head to Audible.com to download individual back episodes (for $.95 a pop or $3.95/$$19.95 for a monthly/yearly subscription) What could be better than trying to figure out hour after hour after hour what that eek eek eep noise in a caller's 1983 Ford Taurus before the Brothers Automotov do? Possibly nothing.
And when you've made your way through all the car chatter you can handle, check out these other podcasts that I can't get enough of:
:: Mobtown Ska Sounds - DJ Bobby Bobson brings you THE very best of old school reggae, Jamaican ska, dub, two tone and more straight out of good ol' Charm City (Baltimore). An hour of music, about one minute of talk. Just the way I like 'em.
:: Radiolab- Hosts Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad attempt to explore answers (or at least get you to ponder deeply) questions about everything in life worth questioning. "Bring your curiosity, and we'll feed it with possibility." This is hands down one of the most hilarious and well-produced science/philosophy/political shows I've ever listened to. EVAR. (Misspelling indended {meme reference}.)
:: This American Life - If you haven't already heard of this, well...you're way behind the times, maaaaaan. They even have a show on HBO now that you can instant-download episodes of on Netflix. Through humor, compassion, ingenuity and human interest, host Ira Glass takes you to many places in our great country each hour, but mostly to places inside your heart. (Heavy shit right there. It's no joke...I usually cry at least once an episode, but I'm probably 40% more overly emotional than everybody I know.)
So if you are still one of the many out there sans iPod - good for you! If you're still standing on the subway platform flipping stacks of polycarbonate plastic defiantly into your Discman, waiting for someone to think you're "so retro", most podcasts are available on CD too.
Lots of great things have come out of Sweden. Here's a small photo array of these things (because everybody loves pictures and maybe half of my visitors can't actually read):
And much like the Barbegazi, there's not much information to be found out about this guy. He's signed to Little Records out of Switzerland, a tiny little indie label run by two dudes with a total of four arms. He is a one man band because he's too much of an asshole to deal with other people (being an asshole = greatest mother of invention of all time). He's played with Bob Log III, Zen Guerilla, The Bellrays, and other only semi-recognizable acts. He might have been raised by harmonica-playing wolves.
Maybe this is old hat, maybe some of you have seen him play somewhere in the states (although I doubt that's happened yet). I can only hope he makes it round my way because if there's anything I love more than an angry, socially-retarded, egocentric musical genius, it's an angry, socially-retarded, egocentric musical genius with a foreign accent.
Holy crap! There's a ton of stuff going on this weekend and my liver is throbbing in anticipation of all the free booze that will be going with it. I'm pretty sure nobody gets any useful information about events from my website (because if you are, you should send me an email or post a commment or something, fer christsakes!), but I'll give you the deets anyway...
Mark illustrated the "New Blood" section, and my bros at Royal Flush even threw in a photo of Stainboy and I from when he was in town last year for a book release/poster show of his in Manhattan. Whoopie! I'm a fuckin' art star! (I kid, I kid.)
Bands! Booze! Open bar from 8-9pm. (More Details) "If print is dead, then the ROYAL FLUSH Magazine is rock and roll's superhero zombie, and it's coming back to life. Part pop culture mag, part rock art carnival, part comic book, and all irreverent fun, the annual Royal Flush Magazine experience returns with a bombastically bulging 112-page sixth book. We're celebrating the new issue with four bands, open bar, and a huge party." Tonight's lineup is: 9:00 - Cinema Cinema 10:00 - Black Water Rising 11:00 - Goes Cube 12:00 - Suicide City
Free entry with Royal Flush Fest badges OR if you RSVP...better do it NOW.
The Freakbar in Coney Island 1208 Surf Ave Brooklyn NY 11224-2816 Tel: 718 372 5159 By Train: Take the D, Q N or F train to Stillwell Avenue (last stop).
Starts at 3pm, goes until you pass out!! Featuring car and bike show, and bunch 'o bands: The Turbo A.C.s The Brains The Arkhams (my friend Bobcat plays guitar for them) Black Boyfriend (Ex Krays, Urban Riot) The Percs
With DJ Laura Rebel Angel (from Rebel Angel Productions)
"The second installment of Art of Rebellion is visiting NYC October 17th after a successful run in Santa Monica earlier this year. The show will feature renowned gig poster artists showing painted Iron 883 tanks and signature poster art along with photography by Adam Wright and Steven Stone. Pick up a poster or splurge on a tank-either way, a chunk of the proceeds go to the CUE Art Foundation."
Having once again missed out on a great day of vehicular mayhem somewhere in a ten mile radius of my house, I turned to Flickr to see if maybe some other like-minded soul was smart enough to get some photos of this shouldn't-have-been-missed 'cycle show. Success!
As you can see, I was completely wrong about what I send in my last entry about this show, regarding bikers scaring away rogue wanna-be hipsters. Of course, at some point the bedbugs and cockroaches end up taking over everything and there's nothing you can do but try your best to exterminate them...or move.
Check out Jamie's BrandX Flickr set for more great shots of a few of the bikes at the show. And next Saturday is the Rumblers Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills show under the BQE in Williamsburg (hipsters beware).
Photo taken by David McClister, rock photographer extraordinaire.
I am starting to think long and hard about moving to Nashville, or maybe Louisville, Kentucky, so I can be neighbors with amazing artists and extremely lovely gentlemen Justin Kamerer (aka Angryblue) and Jeral Tidwell.
Together, those talented, charming (and good looking!) men form Crackhead Press, a screen printing studio based out of Louisville. I just recently purchased their Ink Alchemy Vol. 2 book and the print quality and illustrations are just outstanding.
Of the two of these great guys, I think Jeral's work (I am lucky to have several art prints and posters of his at home) is probably of particular interest to the Greaser Garage crowd as he has a plethora of rod-related art to boot.
Tidwell poster for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock
So ladies (if there are any of you even reading this site), this post filled with smart, savvy, talented, crush-worthy ass-kickers is for you.
Thank god I have nothing but time to kill this morning and can catch up on checking for updates on every website I haven't had time to visit in the last couple weeks. I say "thank god" because I was reminded of two very important events coming up in the next month - well, probably important to you too if you're into this website.
Rumblers NYC 9th Annual Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills car show Under the BQE in Brooklyn (Williamsburg) car show @ 10am, bands start around 3:30pm at Union Pool, cost still TBA
Every year somehow, WITHOUT FAIL I miss this car show. I'm always out of town or just totally out of the loop completely. It's like the cosmos doesn't want me to get within five miles of the Rumblers yearly KK&HRT because the world will implode or there are too many dudes in attendance I've slept with and having all of us in one place will cause a black hole to rip through the space-time continuum and suck all the rockabilly retards in (yours truly included).
THIS year, however, I will be there for the whole shebang, camera and sexy car-loving man friend in tow (hopefully)...I owe the world at least that much.
The next event, happening for four days over Labor Day weekend is the Coney Island Rockabilly Festival. And like clockwork, I will be out of town that weekend communing with nature in a bikini and filled with substances swimming around in a lake in New Jersey. SO somebody else will just have to go enjoy this for me. Give me a choice between Rockabilly scenesters and hanging with my friends for a weekend in a log cabin on a lake? The choice basically makes itself.
There are so many bands playing - including most of them from the Rumblers event the weekend before) that I can't even list them all. Should be fun times, even though I firmly believe that burlesque and roller derby are horribly dated, been-there-done-that uninteresting excuses for fat chicks to wear their underwear in public. (Of course, I'm all for excuses to wear your underwear in public, not that you need any.) It's a terrible replacement for missing female self-esteem and something that, when it was first conceived, was more like a sexy ladies comedy song and dance troupe than whatever it has deteriorated into today.
But you should still go, because maybe you are still excited by, you know...that. Maybe if the burlesque was happening on top of a pit filled with vipers or on the back of a galloping horse I might be intrigued.
My main beef with events like this is that they are so fucking predictable, the whole "Rockabilly Festival" thing. Throw a few "fill in the blank"-a-billy bands, a couple zoftig chicks in pasties, a "Reverend So-and-So" and a set of fire batons and POOF - instant Rockabilly "fest" satiation. Do I have any suggestions of what I'd like to see more of that's a little less predictable? No. But then again, that's probably why I've never been swept with open arms into the inner-most cliques of the heppest of hot rod scene hooligans; being predictable is my numero uno pet peeve.
Predictability is just another word for "you're not trying hard enough". Lazy, complacent, underdeveloped...those all come to mind.
So why do I still like rockabilly music and cars and all this crap that goes with it? It all comes together to resonate within me in a personal way, which is what hot rodding is all about. It's about taking something standard - something predictable- that anybody can buy or have or do and painstakingly transforming it into something all your very own. Festivals and people that resort to cookie-cutter molds of "what works" as far away from the hot rod spirit that you can possibly get.
This is why I don't organize "fests"...but perhaps maybe I should.
I probably just opened up a big ol' can of ass-kickin' there. Heh.
