Xx DJ SET at LPR!

Miraculously, Blogger was able to recover my long since deleted blog. Kudos to you, Blogger.

So the Xx is having a DJ set at Le Poisson Rouge tomorrow, April 22!!


Tickets are only $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show. Le Posson Rouge is located at 158 Bleeker Street; their motto is "serving art and alcohol." This is sure to be a fun party!

Lost and Found, Once Again

As I deleted and have seemingly indelibly lost my old blog (http://culturebyrachel.blogspot.com), to the past, it seems appropriate to start my new blog with an old post on precisely the subject of the lost and the found.

I am re-posting this entry from my old blog, which can still be seen on the Lost and Found NYC blog, below. Appropriately -- and coincidentally -- this post is from exactly a year ago. Thank you to The Lost and Found blog for finding my blog, which I managed to lose as well (go figure), and for re-posting this entry of mine!

From 2009:

I have to say it has been a strange, jarring past two weeks. A strange, jarring past two days, especially.

So last weekend, I had my camera and my phone in my bag; I was carrying my bike down the stairs from my apartment, and my bag fell out of my basket. The consequences, I found: my computer was and is completely intact, my camera screen was broken. What’s a blogger to do without a camera??

Well, I did have my phone camera… and then I was off to prepare to go to the Down & Derby rollerskating party at Studio B in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Of course, during my preparations, my bottle of water spilled over all the belongings in my phone. And, for the night, my phone screen was also broken.

Miraculously, my phone was fine the next day; and I also was able to find an upgrade version of my camera on sale for $100 plus tax (cheaper than the cost of repair or the price of my original camera). Everything was looking up…

Then I saw Lily Allen perform at Roseland Ballroom on Monday, 4/20, armed with my new camera, my phone, and happy as a clam.

Of course, I ended up losing my wallet… which must have fallen out of my bag… and I was freaked out and agonizing over my stupidity and losing all of my wallet’s contents. Another girl’s wallet turned up, which she gratefully retrieved, but the place cleared out – well before midnight – without a trace of my wallet. A staffer there gave me $10 for a cab ride, which I thankfully accepted (thank you!!).

And my cabbie, noticing I was upset, and wondering why my initial request to be driven to Williamsburg, Brooklyn changed to a request to be dropped off on 14th St, was similarly sympathetic: he offered me the extra ride back home free of charge. I returned home, exhausted and grateful for the kindness of strangers, only to find out that I had left my phone in the cab!

And then I found I had an e-mail from a girl who found my wallet, and who returned it to me, complete with all its contents — even the cash — the next day. The irony of losing a phone over a lost wallet, only to have the wallet returned. I swear I am not usually this ditzy.

But I have to say, it has been an interesting lesson/example in both the kindness of strangers and the maxim of “don’t trust anyone.” All in all, I guess I was pretty lucky: only my phone was lost, which I have insurance coverage for. The trials and tribulations of NYC life. I think it can be summed up pretty well by this poster I saw the other day, a rip-off of the “I heart NYC” t-shirt: “I can’t afford to heart NYC.”

Recent Shows: Chromeo and Raveonettes

Below are some pics from last week's shows!

Chromeo:







And the Raveonettes:


And tonight I am going to the CMJ marathon at Bowery Ballroom, which will include headliners Fanfarlo, the Postelles, and Midnight Juggernauts.

Indie/Punk Times

So yesterday night, after a teaching extravaganza of a day, I ended up at the new Knitting Factory, which is now in my neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And the best thing was that it happened to be Moisturizer's last show. (My friend wanted me to come, hearing that Moisturizer was legendary, while I hadn't ever heard buzz on them, except I had happened to catch them at Zebulon the other week!) I didn't even know what show I was going to see when I agreed to check out the Knitting Factory last night. So I just so happened to see Moisturizer twice, and each time was incredible: with their psychedelic/jazz/funk sound, they definitely imbue a certain sense of sexy magic into the evening.

And tonight I am going to see Punk Princess, an off-Broadway show about a blue-blooded Londoner girl who escapes to NYC to make it into the punk scene. Good times.

Marathon '33 at Webster Hall... If I Had the Disposable Income!!

I would sooo be at this tonight if I had the disposable income... But I've already overspent to see Chromeo, The Punk Princess (off-Broadway show), and the Raveonettes this coming week....! Here's to enjoying the decadence of the city!

Celebrate the recession with
THE ORIGINAL REALITY SHOW:
MARATHON DANCING

ENJOY AN EXCITING STAGE SHOW
We're transforming Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, into a 1930's dance hall for MARATHON '33 — a special presentation of a new stage show inspired by Miss June Havoc's 1963 play of the same title — for one night only on Monday, October 19, beginning at 6:30pm. Tomé Cousin and Peter Gregus will direct and choreograph a cast of more than twenty performers as they jitterbug and jive to the sounds of a bygone era.

Tony Award-winning Broadway Star
Karen Ziemba
will entertain with 30s era songs!

CLASSIC FUN FOOD OF THE TIME
In addition to the entertainment, we'll be serving the comfort foods of the era, and of today too,
including hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, cotton candy and beer.

RAFFLES & DOOR PRIZES
Chances to win trips, jewelry, theatre tickets - including FINIAN'S RAINBOW and THE TOXIC AVENGER - and more,
along with other surprises will add to the evening's fun.

This Once-In-A-Lifetime, Theatrically Historical Event will honor Abingdon's Board Chairman Emeritus Margot London,
and our Special Guest of Honor Julie Harris,
who created the role of Jean Reed in the original Broadway production of
MARATHON '33.

The fun begins at 6:30pm with swing lessons taught by Myrna Caceres from The 92nd Street Y with the assistance of Fred Velde from the Workshop Theater. This will be followed by a featured duet by the Mark Stewart Dance Theatre. The stage show begins at 8:00pm, and will be followed by drinks and dancing into the wee hours. Vintage dress is optional.

Premium tickets at $250, including a Private VIP Reception,
are available by CLICKING HERE

or Balcony view tickets at $50 are available by CLICKING HERE

In Memoriam Show at Issue Prject Room for Suzanne Fiol

This is incredibly sad. I worked with Suzanne and at Issue for a number of years. Suzanne was an amazing woman, beautiful inside and out, and she founded an incredible venue dedicated to emerging music and the arts. She will be profoundly missed, by many!

IN MEMORIAM of Issue Project Room founder and director Suzanne Fiol, who passed Monday.
in memoriam with love
Please honor her by supporting IPR.

FRIDAY OCT 9
Poetry to the Infinitive Powers
At 7pm -- The Way of the Word
Poetry Extravaganza curated by Bob Holman, Suzanne Fiol, and Kenneth Goldsmith

At 9:00pm -- These Are Powers Dance Party
performance by drum and trapeze duo Lone Wolf and Cub
The PREMIERE of our new video for "Candyman" off our forthcoming RVNG 12"
DANCE PARTYw/DJs Ryan Sawyer, Matt Radune and Jeremy Campbell
Video installations by Secret Project Robot

TAP performs live and will be joined by a horn section and Ryan Sawyer on congas!

The Garage @ (OA) Can Factory
232 3rd St. Brooklyn, NY 11215
$12, sorry this event is not all ages

As the date says, this is at Issue Project Room tonight.

Crooked Disco Tomorrow!

First, I have to say that the Anti-Pop Consortium show was excellent - quality "nerd-rap" music styling... my friend and I even had our pictures taken by band promoters with their stickers when we walked in. (Who knows where these pics will end up, if anywhere...)

Then Thursday night I enjoyed the free music at Zebulon in Williamsburg and discovered the funk-soul band, The Moisturizers. Good stuff.

And now, for an evening with friends tonight, and hopefully tomorrow, Crooked Disco at Public Assembly (yes, also in Williamsburg!) It will be a Freaktoberfest celebration. Hmm...