HEY GIRL

Here we go, September! My favorite time of year kicks off with a stacked mother of a weekend…let’s not waste a moment:

Friday September 7th

The Psyched brings their vicious boom boom to Glasslands Gallery tonight, supported by a touring UK power-punk band of dudes with great hair called Devin…at 10pm and 11pm…

Jonathan Toubin is on the road so it’s only right and proper that Josh Styles fills in for him tonight at Home Sweet Home for Shakin’ All Over Under Sideways Down. He’s on from 11pm till closing time playing all the wild stuff of dreams gone by on ’45…$3 admission.

Our very own Viking Ninja of Trash Drew Redmond will be spinning his finest punk, garage, 50′s R&B and trash rock tonight at Bushwick’s Lone Wolf from 11pm till close. No cover for that one, I do believe….

And it wouldn’t quite be Friday in the upper realms of Manhattanville if Lady La La Linda wasn’t at Ding Dong Lounge playing funk, soul, psych and garage all night for the sloshed and unwashed, now would it? 10pm till close, no cover…

Saturday September 8th

Now that Summer is kinda sorta over your chances to see bands outdoors and in the day are dwindling fast. Also I heard you’re a creep who likes vampires, ghosts , The Cramps, eyeliner and all that other shit. WELL THEN, this is for you! Down in Jersey City, just 10 minutes from the Grove St. PATH: Life’s A Beach is a rock and roll fundraiser for the benefit of The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery (435 Newark Avenue). From 1pm and pretty much on the hour, thrill to the sounds of live ghouls The Egos (Boston), Blue Wave Theory, The Coffin Daggers, Willy and the Wolves, Koefte’s Quiff and Labretta Suede and the Motel 6. There will be DJ’s playing surf rock, rockabilly, swing and boogaloo all day, vendors, go-go girls and hula dancers, food and drink. $10-$15 donation. Pay your respects!

I don’t need many excuses to want to spend my Saturday night in Coney Island, but if you’re out of them, check out The Dead Tricks and The Arkhams at The Freak Bar! That’s the live music portion (10pm) of an all day happening for the Harley Davidson sponsored by the Coney Island Tattoo and Motorcycle Festival that features tattoo artists, vintage bikes and at 8:30 a live version of the most primitive rock and roll kids show on TV – public access or otherwise – Ghoul-a-Go-Go !

The one and only Jello Biafra makes his only metro area stop on tour with his band The Guantanamo School Of Medicine tonight at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. I’m sure he’s got plenty to say about conditions today. He’s supported by the glam punk joy freaks The TV Tramps and Brooklyn hard rock group Chron Turbine. Admission is $10-$15 SUGGESTED, with 8pm doors…

The Italian glam rock posse Giuda, who according to all accounts tore it up last weekend at Cakeshop are still around to give you more, this time playing with “Maximum Oi! and B” band The 45 Adapters, post punkers Boot Blacks and The Livids (fronted by Eric Davidson of The New Bomb Turks) at St. Vitus in majestic Greenpoint, Brooklyn! 8pm kick off, $10 cover…

Of COURSE there’s a Cavestomp show tonight, you silly. Parkside Lounge will be the place to catch The Live Ones, Chris Such and the Savages (the “secret” moniker of The Headless Horsemen) and the sunshine psych sounds of The Grip Weeds…8pm doors, $6 cover, in between sounds by host and DJ Tony Lofi…

Mere blocks over at The Mercury Lounge, the one two punch of two of the town’s most fearsome, The Naked Heroes and The Nuclears, tearing up East Houston at 10pm and 11pm respectively. $10 cover for a whole lot of ruckus…

The Bell House out in Gowanus, BK hosts Ottawa, Canadian band The White Wires, a raucous group that straddles that razor edge between garage punk and power pop and are touring in support of a new record titled WWIII…support acts include Wyldelife (features members of The Pains of Being Pure of Heart) and a  Hollywood…in the “Frontier Room”, 8pm doors, $10 cover…

Rounding up the night, I BELIEVE my man Jumpy and his Soul-a-Go-Go party is happening at Grand Victory, 11pm till close, but our calendar could be out of whack so I am not sure. You out there?Anyway. You know the deal, he throws down killer no-standing-around-on-the-dancefloor  movers and you dance to them. That’s the deal!  No cover!

Have fun out there, kitten babies…

Captain Heartlock

As most of you have probably already heard, our town’s own DJ extraordinaire and nightlife mainstay Jonathan Toubin was the victim of an absolute freak accident, having been seriously injured when an out of control taxi cab plowed through the wall of the  hotel he was staying in in Portland OR where he was on on tour. The first of what I’m sure will be many fundraisers take place TONIGHT (Friday December 9th) at both Home Sweet Home (featuring DJ sets by Ethan Miller, Stalkers Andy Animal, Danny Goldstein  and Josh Styles and Billy & Miriam of NORTON RECORDS) from 8pm till close, with another event going on simultaneously at Motor City Bar with Drew Redmond and Jerry Lee. Go out there and give what you can to help a man who’s brought so much happiness to others and is one of the genuinely GOOD MEN in this scene: you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who has a cross word to say about him as he’s always  a sweet and positive force and treats you like a human even if he didn’t know you from Adam.

The latest word is he’s in stable condition, but let’s all continue sending the light waves his way.

Too heavy…

Here’s what else is going on this weekend:

Friday December 9th

Power Pop Rawks is a monthly throw down at Bar Matchless in Greenpoint…but the funny thing about tonight’s edition is that there ain’t a power pop band to be found on this decidedly “creatures from the garage” bill, with live hot and mean performances by faux French ye-ye monsters Les Sans Culottes, trans-freak garage punk witches The Electric Mess and the freakbeat lords of Brooklyn, The Above! All three bands are rocking new material in celebration of recent and soon to come releases so expect the unexpected…yours truly will be spinning psych/garage and punk wax before and between bands tonight as well. $7 cover, 8:30 doors!

Not too far away at Rock and Roll bowl-a-rama dive The Gutter is a raucous bill featuring the great glam punk swagger of 1-800-Band, The Live Ones and garage beasts The Piggies! Doors at 9 for only a $5 dollar cover!

Speaking further of good causes, Trash Bar hosts Dean Rispler’s annual holiday party that benefits The Ali Forney Center & New York Harm Reduction Educators. Going on from 8 till late, it’s packed with all kinds of nice and slimey rock and roll bands, including favorites The Naked Heroes (10pm). $12 cover/donation.

Over at The Cakeshop, the voodoo blues experience that is Five Dollar Priest performs at 10pm, along with Chicken Snake (featuring former members of Speedball Baby)…those two are on at 10 with an $8 cover…

The founder of this here blog, our lover boy Shimmy, is throwing himself a little birthday shindig tonight – well, not actually his REAL birthday but his 33 1/3rd birthday party – cause he’s a NERD!!!! And it’s gonna have DJs Mr Vacation, Handsome Van Zant,  Pickabar and Grace of Spades spinning records at 33 1/3rd speed! NOVEL! This happens at the new hot joint of Williamsburg Brooklyn Stable, where the beer is cheap and wings are of chicken, not Red Bull. No cover, goes from10pm till 3 am, and you’ll get to hear all the psych, garage, 50′s doo wop, oi and ska your ears can be filled with…on TWELVE INCHES, baby…all the DJ’s from tonight’s party will be donating their earnings to help Jonathan.

Phast Phreddie is joined by very special guest Brian Hurd, the harpman leader of Daddy Long Legs, as they both lay down hard core vintage delta blues records on the people at Teddy’s in Williamsburg. It’s called MOANIN’ AT MIDNIGHT. Satan, get behind me! Ain’t no cover and the action goes from 9pm till around 2am.

Meanwhile back uptown, La La Linda has a special edition of her weekly spin at Ding Dong Lounge, 2011: A DING ODYSSEY. Not only will she be spinning her usual unbeatable psych, funk, garage and soul offerings, but there will be psych visual projections on the walls by one VJ Linear Regression. No cover, from 10pm till oh so late…

CrystalBlu regales the happy hour beauty fiends at Manhattan’s Beauty Bar from 7pm till 11 for To Sir With Love with garage, surf, soul and girl group sounds…across 14th street at Otto’s Shrunken Head catch No Good Nick for his OWN happy hour set called Ring! Ting! Jingle! featuring his selections of Soul, Beat and Instro 45s. No cover, also kicking off at 7…

Saturday December 10th

HUGE show under the big top at Big Sky Works, trapeze training ground to the superstars, where you can catch a rare performance by surf punk maniacs The Giraffes, who will be playing along with new teen punk rock band The Skins and the brooding reverb garage fury of Twin Guns! Of course this shall all be augmented with crazy mind visuals by psychedelic video projection artsit B.A Miale. A worthy $10 cover with 9pm doors…

As far as I know: NY Night Train’s presentation of the Portland, OR’s I’ve Got a Hole In My Soul party with DJ Beyonda and friends is still on, I’m almost sure this night will be altered in some way to help Jonathan out…10pm doors and $ tbd

Big Sur and Jumpy’s monthly soul throwdown Soul a Go Go is definitely on at the Pinball players haunt of coolness The Satellite Lounge! 10pm-4am with no cover, and a bad mama-jama selection of brews…

At “free pizza with your beer” dive of Greenpoint LuLu’s, visiting, loud and trashy glam band St. Philip’s Escalator of Rochester pays our town a visit, I presume they are on around 9pm…cover?

Lastly for the weekend we’ve got DJ C’Mon and her whisky fueled Saturday Takeover garage and powerpop party at Idle Hands from 10pm till the bitter end…no cover!

*******

That’s what’s what…if I’ve missed anything do let us know and we’ll do our best to update.

Godspeed, JT

-Captain Heartlock

As a reminder, you must not forget (lest you screw up your life FOREVER) to set your clocks FORWARD one hour this Saturday night (wait, who the fuck has clocks anymore! My cell phone will do ALL the work for me! So there, Willard Scott!). That means if you’re hanging out lat night and you’re wondering why they called “last call” at 2:30, don’t make trouble for your poor bartender and get thee to the afterparty. Or Bed. But ULTIMATELY what this means is winter is pretty much officially DONE (no whammy no whammy no whammy), as the days get longer, the temperatures warmer, the skirts shorter and all kinds of crazy start to gleam in your eye! Glory Be! Now you can all stop bitching – you’ve lost an hour of sleep and you’ve gained a season. Not that many of you are THAT big on sleep to begin with…

ANYWAY…the weekend! What are we doing?

Friday March 11th

Eight consecutive hours of non stop bad ass rock and soul at Home Sweet Home:  the new weekly happy hour for Friday nights is METROPOLIS VINTAGE HAPPY HOUR, presented by that fab vintage store of the same name. Mad man about town (and one of the stores clothiers) Drew Redmond slings garage-punk, 50′s R&B and 60′s brat rock from 8 till 11pm, with a sweet 2-1 drink special with coupons you can pick up directly from the store…at 11 Jonathan Toubin’s ‘Shakin’ All Over Sideways Down’ begins; this week he’s joined on turntable duties by Ian Svenonius; password “Blue is Beautiful” gets you to the front of the line ahead of the weekend invaders…$3 cover after 11pm, free before and after 3am!

Phast Phreddie and Mr. Fine Wine present CRAWLING KING SNAKE – An Action Blues Dance Party at Teddy’s in Williamsburg, where the two impresarios will spin “wild and greasy” , jump and jive blues (not the oh so typical 12 bar blues rock standards version of  “the blues”, think the kind that MOVES,  the kind that accompanies those party scenes from the day with guys throwing chicks over their shoulders onto the roof of barns – aka, “origin of rock and roll” blues…). No cover! Starts at 9pm…

As on any other Friday Night, be assured of the fact that Linda Rizzo is up to good no-good spinning her weekly party at uptown Manhattan rock and roll dive bar The Ding Dong Lounge, spinning all manners of punk, funk, soul and rock and roll from 10pm on…

Back in Brooklyn: At Williamsburg’s Satellite Lounge Your Pal Josh (drummer of Travelling Circle) and DJ It provide a haven of tripped out smooth, spinning selections of psychedelia, kraut rock, shoe gaze, soul and whatever else they damn please, from the 60′s through…TODAY! Open your mind-ind-ind and watch the lights of the pinball machines flashing in the reflection of your beer glass…10pm to close, no cover!

Saturday March 11

Start your Saturday on the weird: I’m really digging this new series of local rockers hosting underground cinema at Don Pedro! This week at Saturday Grindhouse Madness, behold the majestry of the strangeness that is John Waters as they screen Mondo Trasho. It’s CLASSIC trash (featuring the one and only Divine) and must be seen. Enjoy the happy hour and the tasty as hell bar snacks and burgers on hand from 5pm on…

If you’re a fan of rocka/psycho-billy and 50′s rock and roll greaser sounds, this is your Saturday Night:

FIRST, legendary roots rockers The Blasters and U.K. rockabilly icon Robert Gordon perform at Gowanus, Brooklyn’s Bell House for an early show that starts at 7pm…THEN later on in Manhattan at The Rodeo Bar and Grill (375 3rd Avenue at 27th Street) catch The Buzzards (10pm and 1am sets) and Laura Rebel Angel (midnight!) for a FREE show at the long running honky-tonk/rockabilly Saturday night party…THEN if you’re adventurous you could follow Laura over to Le Poisson Rouge which hosts the Dances of Vice party, a popular regular shindig we normally don’t cover except for the fact that she (along with Rebel Night’s DJ Sei) will be spinning 50′s and 60′s doowop, R&B and golden era Rock and Roll music in one of the most lush spaces in town…burlesque beauties The Rhinestone Follies wiggle delightfully and modern revivalists Matthew Piazzi and the Debonairs peform live. Starts at 10pm, $10 In Advance / $15 At the Door, FREE after 2 am…

THEEEE punk rock bowling alley of Brooklyn, The Gutter, is gonna have a little punk rock show, oddly enough! The Live One’s and Triple Hex perform loud and wild for a mere 5$ buck cover in the back room of the joint that has 8 old skool lanes, air hockey, and beer on tap.

In a rare appearance for this group, catch the wild garage-punk / surf infused sounds of Johnny Chan and The New Dynasty 6 at Bowery Electric tonight! They headline an early bill that starts at 8 o’clock, supported by Sportsmen’s Paradise and French ye-ye rockers Les Sans Culottes. $9 cover…

In case you’re STILL in carnival mode or missed the party night completely, celebrate Mardi Gras days later at Zebulon for TARDY GRAS (see what they did there???)! Jonathan Toubin slings records in honor of the The Crescent City, playing New Orleans/Louisiana party favorites and bayou-thick dance numbers! Beads, Masks, and Mardi Gras cake EVERYWHERE. Reverend Vince Anderson and his Love Choir perform TWO sets for your salvation! $5 Cover, 9pm kick off…

Flip City returns, this time to The Alligator Lounge, on Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, one of the last of the “free paper thin dried out personal pizza with your beer purchase” joints left in town.  You’re better off not stuffing your gullet but filling your MIND and your EARS with the sweet sounds of soul, garage, and beat that DJ’s Mic Lo (Strange Haze) and Jumpy will unleash, strictly on ’45. No cover for this, and the action starts at 10pm….

********

Falling Back,                                                                                                                      -Captain Heartlock

Let's do the time warp again, like we did last weekend.

‘Sup, Boppers?

Hope you’ve got your bearings about you, what after the month of insanity that gave us CMJ (Country Music Jammers?),  a cosmically insane Halloween weekend (I heard ALL the stories, matey), midterm exams, the squash harvest, cider shingles, crack tastings and and all the other assorted stupid that October means to you and me.

Ah, Fall!

Well, you’d best liver up! This weekend Daylight Savings Time ENDS at 2am on Sunday morning. That means one whole extra hour of drinky poo! A multitude of fun awaits you out on the streets, and when you get home The Gin Fairy will leave a dollar bill and remorse under your pillow while you sleep!

Friday November 5th

Here’s what’s up for live rock tonight:

At Ave. B’s legendary Lakeside Lounge you can experience Brooklyn rockers The Piggies…

Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless hosts a fun-o-sonic bill:  NYC punkers The Live Ones;  grungy and weird Japanese girls who sound like “Sex, Sushi, & RocknRoll shat out your butt” (Those are THEIR WORDS, I swear), The Hard Nips, who very recently opened for Shonen Knife at the Knitting Factory, and People You Hate, a very 70′s Detroit punk sounding band from around these parts…

As always on a Friday night, you can count on  Shakin’ All Over Under Sideways Down at Chinatown NYC’s Home Sweet Home. This month maestro Jonathan Toubin is joined on the decks by none other than Jon Spencer. Watch them play music to freak out the straights.  Speaking of, the new entrance policy is: FREE entry before 11pm, $2 dollars with the secret word (the clue is in the hyperlink over Jon Spencer’s name!) and $5 dollars for everyone else…ah, the perils of trying to throw a party in downtown Manhattan these days…

It’s that time of the month: the rent is due, my vagina is bleeding, the chicken has come home to roost, and it’s boogie till ya die time! First Friday’s preeminent freakout, Smashed!Blocked! happens tonight at Manhattan’s Beauty Bar, where Josh Styles welcomes Italy’s Peppermint Twist and Fab who will grace the children with fantastic garage, psych and beat selections from the continent and beyond. Anna Copa Cabana and Kipps Ahoy are your go-go’s and the night is filthy free like always from 11pm on…

Uptown Girls and Boys should absolutely drop in to The Ding Dong Lounge (Columbus and West 105th St., NYC) to hear Linda Rizzo spin her eclectic blend of punk, garage, funky soul and pop music. No Cover!

Saturday November 6th

(A bit of shameless self promotion) Why not start off your evening of chaos (or drink off your hangover from last night) with little ole’ me? Yours truly will be spinning from 6pm-10pm for Happy Hour at Bushwick’s Beauty Bar – I’m bringing lotsa heady psychedelia, girl group ravers, sexadelic library tracks, dopey garage and ass shakin’ soul groovers – strictly vinyl, played while the stunning Anna Copa Cabana pours elixirs for the thirsty at what is sadly going to be the last of  her cool Saturday early eve delights…921 Broadway under the J/M/Z tracks…

Tonight is Soul-A-Go-Go at Huckleberry! DJ and host emeritus Jumpy is joined by groove cohort Girl Soul, and they’ll be spinning all vintage 60′s R&B, all on ’45, all night long! No cover at this sophisticated, chilled out Grand Street lounge on the Williamsburg/Bushwick divide with an honest to goodness dance floor!

There won’t be any rock and roll bands due to the near tragic fire in the tiki room, but Unsteady Freddy’s Surf Rock Shindig IS on – the bar and front room ARE open, the man will be spinning tough surf rock, and we should give ‘em all the support we can! Wild sounds, crazy potent cocktails and no cover await at Otto’s Shrunken Head!

All the town’s Greaser Punks and Paige-Haired Painted Ladies invade The Studio at Webster Hall tonight for the only East Coast appearance on the American tour of the legendary German psychobilly band Mad Sin! They’re supported by local terrors The Arkhams, New England based groups  The Creepin’ Cadavers and Whicked Whiskey and The Dreadnoughts from Vancouver, BC! $15 dollars day of show, with Go-Go dancers, DJ’s and  a Punk Rock Flea Market and Craft Fair taking place earlier in the evening! Yep, it’s another rad crazy Laura Rebel Angel Production.

There is also a bunch of wicked shit happening in Asbury Park NJ - Jonathan Toubin is DJing for an event featuring insane Mexican wrestling and foxy burlesque promotion LUCHA VA-VOOM! That’s right, masked Mexican wrestling, sexy near nekkid ladies, comedy, and rad tunes. This takes place daytime stylie at Convention Hall (1306 Ocean Ave)…and if that’s not enough, later in the evening the after party moves on to the legendary Asbury Lanes where Mr. T. will host a special edition of his Soul Clap party. Dance for money! Dance for money! Get judged by a luchadore! He’s joined on the turntables by a man named Jack the Ripper. Deathly!

The only for goddamn for real rock &d roll joint in all of Greenpoint, Tommy’s Tavern, plays host to a night of  debaucherous fuzz movements, where the mighty Organs lay waste to your boredom, alongside The Highway Gimps, Skags, and The Stoned Ambassadors. A measly $4 dollar cover for all this mess…doors at 9pm and the beer flows cheaply.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh shit! Did you hear that The Black Lips are playing tonight, in Brooklyn? Kinda under the radar, but they are, oh yes they are. They’re performing at the after-hours sin mecca The Shank in Greenpoint BK, along with local hardcore scumpunks Cerebral Ballzy. Expect this thing to kick of LATE. Like, after midnight late, man…Jelly NYC (the pool party jerks) is behind this sure-to-be disaster, and I’d get those $5 advance tickets right HERE if I was you, because this won’t stay quiet for long…

Aaaaand SCENE! That’s some weekend you got there, partner.

Don’t forget about the time change, and Don’t be Dumb.

xo-Captain Heartlock