That Hole in Your Schedule has Created a Vacuum, Sucking You Outside/Netflix Wants You to Die

As BV and Yeti pointed out, tonight’s Diplo/CSS/Bonde show at Avalon got axed – tix are being honored at tomorrow’s Warsaw show (which is either going to be stuffed, or is equally undersold).  But it’s not a hundred degrees out, tonight, and there are a zillion options.  Even if, like me, you passed on Jens Lekman because you had Bonde tix.

First, of course, there’s free stuff:  Vetiver’s playing  Soundfix (before heading over to Brooklyn Fireproof), the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre’s doing its night at Summerstage, and the River to River festival has both Conjunto Classico (salsa) at the Seaport and whatever’s calling itself Little Feat these days is at Rockefeller Park.

Hey, don’t laugh.  “Fat Man in the Bathtub” is a great song.

One of the things that bugs me most about schlepping to Warsaw, now, is that I was looking forward to the Thursday night line-up at Pianos.  The Wrens’ Charles Bissell was the early draw, and up-n’-c’ing L.A. new wavers Monsters Are Waiting were closing things out.  But MAW is there tonight, too, and might be worth the trip (though the other half of the Pianos show – including Bravo Silva’s “Pianos Residency” and BSS spin-off Raising the Fawn – has defected to the Syrup Room).  The title track from their CD, Fascination, is a killer (it’s on their myspace; hear more at Hype Machine);  Chromewaves, coincidentally, posted about them today and said nice things.  The Shalit in me wants to say, “The only monster waiting for these kids is their career!”

I won’t let him.  While at least there’s a softer edge, when the redundant angular guitarstuff kicks in – the more Blondie it is, kids, the better – the music kind of flattens out, for me.  But it’s the sort of something a really strong frontwoman could make worth seeing (and that’s one of the reasons I never wrote about Persephone’s Bees when I saw them a few weeks back – they’re lacking that).

Incidentally, the Monsters should love that their promotional company links to a different band’s site on their page.  Classy.

Hey, there’s a band that supposedly performs on a trapeze at Union Pool (not Union Hall), tonight.  I have no idea how this would even work, and don’t see any pics or music for this “Trapeze Loft” outfit online.  Someone go and let us know, wouldja?

No matter where I go my heart will wind up at CBGB’s with Peelander-Z (myspace).  I love these guys, and this might be their last gig there before the club closes.  The first time I ever saw them, almost three years ago, it was at CB’s, it was a Japunks show, it was one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever experienced.  Guitar Wolf – easily the best “wolf” band on the planet, by about a billion miles – headlined (and played six encores), Goggle A was awesome, and there were four other Japanese (or Japanese-American) punk bands.  But P-Z almost stole the show.  The entire club was a non-stop (but friendly) mosh pit for their set.

Some songs (Songs?  They have songs?) have changed, but the shtick remains the same... and I hope it always does.  I hope they’re still tossing the lead singer at bowling pins when he’s 63 and on his second hip replacement.  They’re simply one of the most entertaining acts around, joyful and magnanimous, and deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this city’s other great live bands.  Why aren’t they opening for Les Savy Fav?  Is Tim Harrington afraid?

Unfortunately, the line-up surrounding them tonight isn’t very attractive:  I can’t find much to like about Electric Eel Shock, Tigers and Monkeys, or Dynamite Club.  I’m more likely to see Peelander again at this.  Live monster wrestling?  I’m ordering my S.T.E.A.K. already.

Also, tonight:  I ♥ You but I Stopped Caring About Your Band Before I Even Finished Typing Out its Name is at Bowery w/Asobi Seksu (who are playing 300 NYC shows in the next month; I think they’re in my kitchen, a week from Thursday (note:  I will prestring the fucking Xmas lights), Muse cover band Cities is at Northsix, and... oh, just go to Oh My Rockness.

*

What you should really do is find out what Yeti is doing.  It’s his birthday.  Stalk him, buy him a thousand beers.

*

Or you could go see Beastmaster at Pier 46.

Some would say free outdoor screenings of old films have lost their luster in this age of the Mega-Home Entertainment Centre... but the DVD overlords at Netflix don’t seem to think so.

Their “Roadshow” series offers free screenings of movies in locations where those movies take place.  Sounds like a neat idea, no?  How cute, getting to watch Clerks at its Leonardo, NJ, Quick Stop; how amazing, to see The Searchers against the backdrop of Monument Valley.

And the series starts of in New York City with, uh... a screening of The Warriors in Coney Island.

Yes, that sounds safe.

Here, from the movie’s Wikipedia entry:

Shortly after the film's release, there was a flurry of press reporting incidents of teenage violence, including three murders, apparently related to the film's "incendiary" subject matter. Further media pressure prompted Paramount to remove advertisements from all print sources, though subway posters and film trailers were unaffected. When advertisements resumed after six days, the "inflammatory" images of the original ads were gone, the new ads consisting of the film's showtimes and reviews from reputable critics. (Pauline Kael of The New Yorker and Janet Maslin of the New York Times). Due to safety concerns, theater owners were relieved of their contractual obligations if they did not want to show the film and Paramount offered to pay costs for additional security and damages due to vandalism. What some say happened was that a gang would go to the movie, drawn in by the subject of it, see their "rivals" and fight.

Other series screenings include The Poseidon Adventure on The Queen Mary and Jaws at Martha’s Vineyard (the shark movie is also showing at Pier 54, next week, but living in fear of the Hudson River is a good thing).

Netflix currently has no plans to show Midnight Express in a Turkish prison or Marathon Man in a dentist’s office or Snakes on a Plane on a plane (that one’s not even screening for critics).

Meanwhile, the pussies at L Magazine (wow, they’ll let anyone call themselves a “magazine,” won’t they?) want you to see Do the Right Thing in Greenpoint.  They couldn’t find a place in Bed-Stuy?  Whatever.  Hopefully, pizza will be provided at the screening.  Bring your own garbage can.

tags: netflix  monsters are waiting  peelanderz  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    reddit