Happy Birthday To Us!

Not to crow too much but, we're a year old! GPNYC launched October 1st, 2008 with the goal of reducing productivity at as many offices, studios and workplaces as possible. Our evil plan seems to be succeeding, since we've had over 26,000 visits in the past year. Not bad for a site dedicated to "dead/outdated/retro/boring/misogynist/neanderthal" music, wouldntcha say? Feel free to thank Marcus, Charles, Blair and myself next week when you get fired for "surfing profane internet sites" while at work.

While we're hoping that we get 26,000 visits at our birthday party on Saturday in Brooklyn, we'll settle for just a couple hundred of you... we've prepared quite a menu of current garage/punk talent from down home new yak and far beyond. From the New York side, we've got veteran garager Andy Maltz's new band the Piggies as well as Brooklyn's Back CCs. From California, Shannon & the Clams and their poppy house party punk (check 7" Hunk Hunt for clues), from Connecticut hazy garagers Medication (forthcoming LP on HoZac) and from Boston, Tunnel of Love and their unforgettable live show.
Not only that but guest DJ Pat-O, late of Chicago's Rocket Reducer distro, one of the best garage/punk distros to come out of the US in quite a while, plus our own Gaskins spinning punk sides. AND special guests-- one of our favorite modern garage bands, absent from NYC for over 6 months, will be making an appearance as well. All this for $6 at Don Pedro, first band at 10 and whip-tight schedule- for real!

But, we digress. Here's what else is going down this fine, warmer than average November weekend in the big city:

TONIGHT (FRIDAY):

Get started early with a very special happy hour at Lakeside Lounge: Chandler (Raunch Hands, Lost Crusaders) and longtime accomplice Vignault doing the gospel-blues thing for free while you get your buzz on. Great way to tell the work week that was where to go.

More Manhattan or die:

• Linda Rizzo's DJing up up up town at Ding Dong Lounge. Expect garage punk, free entry and booze clues.
• Josh Styles & friends take over Jonathan Toubin's perch at Home Sweet Home on Chrystie. Everybody stomp! FREE
  

Back to Brooklyn:

• Numero's Eccentric Soul Revue -- this feels a little like a Dig Deeper ripoff, but could be fun anyway-- Syl Johnson (Different Strokes! the song, not the series), the Notations, Renaldo Domino, and uh... Missy Dee (old school hip hop? ok). It's $25 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. But who are the DJs? Will they bring the dance party?
• Northhamption, Mass garagerockers Evil Bill are at Don Pedro on a bill we wouldn't otherwise investigate. $?
• Devils' Night! Finally the name of this night pays off on Friday the 13th-- Cowboy Mark and Miss Mary spin devilish 50's / 60's goodies all night at Diamond Bar in western Greenpoint (near the water)
• 60's night 'Barf-o-Rama' rides again at K&M with "Otto" Bahn and Miss January. Projections on the wall, slightly overpriced but usually strong mixed drinks, and free entry. Step on anyone with a blackberry.
• "Pop Love Suicide" - Captain Heartlock leads a rag tag team of DJs including Kittybeat and Lady Byrd at Brooklyn's Beauty Bar through sets of glam, garage, soul & psych. FREE.

SATURDAY:

Tri-State Conspiracy, Arkhams & DJ Phast Phreddie at Bowery Poetry Club for an all ages show of Ska, great DJing and psychobilly. $8 at the door.

Brooklyn's busy Girls at Dawn hit Maxwell's in Hoboken. $?

The Vondells are at Williamsburg's Spike Hill for a free show, hitting the stage around midnight.

Flip City! Jumpy and "Otto" Bahn's 60's night, marks a return at a new venue: Greenpoint's latest hotspot Blackout, on Manhattan Ave near the Greenpoint Ave G stop. It's dark inside indeed but expect these two to brighten it up a bit. Free entry.

Lynne K & DJ Honky return to Union Pool for post-midnight, no cover, DJin' and dancin' in the back room to funk & soul tunes.

Over in Manhattan, Jukebox Jodi leads her "Girls in the Garage" night to new heights at Motor City Bar. Free.

(but of course this is all moot, because you'll be at Don Pedro for our birthday, right?)

SUNDAY:

Daddy Long Legs play the remnants, possibly a burnt out shell of a building, that Don Pedro will be the day after our party. Hopefully there's still electricity and booze. $?

Gentlemen Jesse & His Men from Atlanta are supported by Girls at Dawn at Bruar Falls on Grand St in Williamsburg. $?

Michigan psych/punkers Awesome Color return to favorite haunt Glasslands for a rare appearance. $?

Dave the Spazz and/or Andy Maltz DJ Union Pool (front room).

Quite a weekend-- see you on Saturday, in lieu of gifts, bring money!

SHIMMY

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Thursday & Friday Action In The Big Ol' City

Cheetah Chrome is at Don Hill's tonight.Some of the usual suspects and some very unusual visitors on the events calendar should liven up your weekend here in new yak this weekend.

Tonight we've got a 6(?!) band bill at Don Hill's in Manhattan featuring Cheetah Chrome (ex-Dead Boys) and the Blackhearts, the Martinets and some other '79-style punk bands. Sounds interesting and after the apparent death of the Cramps' Lux Interior yesterday, feel free to demand covers of Goo Goo Muck or the Ultra Twist for that matter! Doors are 6:30 (!) and it should go up to midnight at least.

You'll find me over at the Mercury Lounge tonight where Charleston(Summerville), South Carolina Harmony-Pop merchants the Explorers' Club are playing midway through a bill of (less than stellar) indie bands. I think the Club is on around 9 or 9:30.On paper this band sounds like a must-avoid: they cling closely to the Brian Wilson/Phil Spector/Curt Boettcher formula of late 60's harmony rock'n'roll, dress the part, and their album is a somewhat disappointing affair, produced in my opinion in the wrong way, smoothing out all imperfections and removing most of the good treble. But I've seen them before and LIVE, this band is a whole 'nother cup of meat-- treble aplenty, great guitar, they actually hit the harmonies perfect live, there are incredibly energetic covers of Chuck Berry and some songs have instrumental sections that take them closer to 60's Floyd than the Beach Boys.

After that I'm probably headed over to Heathers, to investigate rumors of a long running soul night featuring ex-Empire State Soul Club DJs. This tiny bar is over at 506 E. 13th St @ Ave A, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume there's no cover; their annoyingly designed website simply calls the night "45 rpm Especiale". If this doesn't pan out however, there's always Jonathan Toubin at Beauty Bar with a soul night tonight as well as (we assume) some friends of NYNT djing at Enid's in Greenpoint.

Friday things heat up a bit (although only figuratively-- it's going to be 35 degrees) with a great show at Maxwell's in Hoboken-- The Paul Collins' Beat, Gentlemen Jesse & His Men from Atlanta and the Explorers' Club. $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

Also tomorrow is the Anabolics at Don Pedro in Brooklyn and the Nouvellas are at Don Hill's in Manhattan-- they're playing live and there are DJs ($5 cover on that one). Beyond that, we've got the usual suspects at Home Sweet Home (Jonathan Toubin) and Beauty Bar (Josh Styles/Smashed!Blocked!).UPDATE: SMASHED!BLOCKED CANCELLED THIS MONTH, BACK NEXT MONTH.Unsteady Freddie stars Saturday at Otto'sSaturday I'm not seeing too much on the calendar-- I have confirmed that Unsteady Freddie will be at his usual perch at Otto's-- all surf all night long. Also Lynne K & DJ Honky are in the Union Pool backroom after midnight doing all soul tunes. I believe both are no cover.

See ya round town!
SHIMMY

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