Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Band: David Byrne
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Prospect Park Bandshell
Food: Press 195
Drink: Union Hall
Miscellaneous: O’Connor’s

How often do you get a chance to see David Byrne for FREE? Well that’s the cost for this one and even better, he’ll be performing the music from his collaborations with Brian Eno which spans several Talking Heads albums as well as their own works together on the classic My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and their latest Everything that Happens Will Happen Today. Did I mention that this was FREE? The theme at Press 195 is pressed comfort food. A sandwich shop with quite the menu, they offer 30 types of delicious sandwiches like the turkey and fontina cheese sandwich with a cranberry and roasted pear chutney on ciabatta ($7.75). While Union Hall looks like a cabin at a ski resort with a fireplace, stone walls, comfy couches, and inexpensive drinks, you may want to stick around rather than barhop. A low-key bar in this hood, O’Connor’s is a hole in the wall where you can grab a cheap drink and watch the game on their TV, just like your grandpa sitting next to you!

On leave from Pete Yorn, WAZ recently let his music float through the air of The Living Room in NYC. The crowd was respectfully silent as his songs softly played out like lullabies. The hour long set featured his wife Jamie on piano and a string trio on loan from NYU, all of whom complemented WAZ’s honest, dogged guitar strumming and singing.

The themes of the night rarely varied. The stripped down versions of these songs are even calmer than WAZ’s albums and his eternal band-mate, Pete Yorn. His live folk sound should play while you are lying in bed, stroking your lover’s hair and falling asleep. If that sounds like a scene from Grey’s Anatomy, you won’t be surprised to find out that WAZ’s music has been featured on the show. Highlights of the evening included the rolling “Ordinary Girl,” sweeping through a great, uplifiting chorus. The 2008 hit “Mine to Remember” also made an appearance, aided by the pulsing, longing string section. Breaking character and form, the biggest surprise of the night came from a cover of “Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League. Any song that can successfully make the transition from 80s synth-pop to modern folk-rock deserves an award.

Jamie, featured on piano and vocals, is an outstanding side-woman. Her wistful piano chords hung like wallflowers behind the mix, and her voice blended perfectly with WAZ’s singing, creating ghost-like harmonies.



Closing the night, WAZ and Jamie taught the crowd a chorus of their closer and encouraged them to belt it out during the song. This theatrical technique of mid-concert rehearsal rarely seems to go smoothly, but the over effect was fun. After such a relaxing hour, a cup of coffee was in order, and maybe the crowd was a bit groggy. Invite WAZ to lull you into a day-dream; you’ll definitely enjoy it.

Look for WAZ’s music to be featured in “Cougar Town” a new ABC sitcom featuring Courtney Cox, debuting this fall. His album The Sweet Bye and Bye and the EP The Secret are both available on iTunes.

Paul Seiz

Voyage of the Damned
(Lions Gate)





I'm not sure I can remember the last time I saw so many well-known 70's actors in one movie other than those classic disaster films like The Towering Inferno and the various Airport movies. In Voyage of the Damned a bunch of these familiar faces, peeps like, Faye Dunaway, Malcolm McDowell, Max Von Sydow and even Orson Welles meet on a ship escaping Europe. Jewish couples and German soldiers and citizens become acquainted at the start of the movie at the Captain's dinner and their wariness and cautions, sometimes their paranoia, make for some tightly woven personal stories which meet and collide as the boat heads for America.

Max Von Sydow is the good guy, high-moral captain, trying to maintain the dignity and safety of his Jewish passengers, arresting German ship crew who continue to play at propaganda displays, insisting on religious services some of these passengers have not enjoyed in a very long time. There's of course some romance here, with the impish McDowell popping around to make time with one of the more paranoid crewmember's daughters.

The voyage on the ship is cut with the scenes in Cuba, the supposed safe port and destination for the Jewish refugees. Bribes, politics and Orson Welles are on the little island, in a place where Welles says: "In Cuba, the only thing one can be certain of is…cigar." I like how the movie runs back and forth between the ship and Cuba, in fact it is masterfully done, just enough of the little snippets of private stories on board and the 'will-they-won't-they-be-able-to-port that creates the movie's subtle tension. (I'm not going to reveal what happens at the end of this true story).

If any one message comes through loud and clear in Voyage of the Damned it is, that once a person experiences something truly horrific it is not soon, ever really, forgotten. Especially when there are people philosophically opposed to your freedoms and will do anything to keep you from them.

Ralph Greco, Jr.

After a long wait and a bunch of other bands at a crowded bar, Darla Farmer took to the crowded stage and delivered one hell of a late night party. The seven piece group is sort of like a trifle in that you have many different ingredients coming together with delicious results. Cabaret piano and electric violin add flair to the basic rock set up. Then there’s the pair of horn players who looked like they were someone’s kid brothers that got invited on stage and were super stoked to be there. At the center of it all was singer/guitarist Clint Wilson, who had the impressive ability of drawing attention without being flashy or ostentatious.

Their circus act was about as fun live as I expected from hearing the few songs they had posted online. It’s tough for seven people to thoroughly rock out in such limited space but they pulled it off. From the angry riffing of “Mechanical Thoughts” to the kooky “Tommy Bones,” every song was as good or better than the last. Then they brought out a cover of The Beatles “Hey Bulldog” that fit in surprisingly well with their originals.

The crowd may have dwindled by their set, probably due to the late hour, but those who stuck around were all visibly excited by the slightly odd band they were witnessing. As good of a time the audience was having, the band seemed to be having an even better one. Backing vocals were delivered with amused zeal and Wilson and bassist Bryce Leonard frequently gave each other smiles that showed how much fun they had playing their songs. If there was no one in the audience the band probably would have had just as much fun and isn’t that what playing music is all about?

Jonathan Zuckerman

Penn & Teller: B.S.! Season Six
(Showtime Entertainment)





Perhaps a better title for Penn & Teller’s Showtime series “Bullshit” is Penn & Teller’s “Steaming Pile of Bias Excrement” because the show is the most hypocritical piece of nonsense that’s come out since Eliot Spitzer was busted with a hooker. Conceptually the show is interesting as the duo attempt to uncover the money-making schemes and false facts in issues such as: the war on porn, new age medicine, dolphin magic? (that’s right dolphin magic), environmentalism, and world peace, but it all becomes lost in their choice of nutty advocates and their lack of impartial discussions. First off, who in their right mind would choose 2 magicians to expose the truth about anything? They are magicians…their job is deceiving the audience with tricks, it’s like having George W. Bush and Stuttering John team to teach pronunciation and public speaking.

That aside, the main problem with the series is all in its one-sided format which pits the two “magedians” against previously taped segments of phonies, crazies, and crazed phonies and rather than confront the people being taped they just call them stupid and then drop a few F-bombs. Occasionally they do point the microscope at more reputable advocates such as Al Gore when they look at “Being Green” but it’s a moot conversation because the statement from his reps only say that he’s too busy to appear on the show.

Anyway, apart from those tremendously huge issues, the show is almost watchable at times and most of their opinions are pretty agreeable although dolphins are not stupid and definitely not fish and being more environmental is definitely not B.S. One episode, “Stranger Danger” is actually very well done because rather than doing a voiceover over a videotape they have a parent representative from each side argue their point. The theory that parents are stressing out kids by making them over-anxious about the danger of strangers abducting them is interesting and well presented and when it’s paired with facts and a mother of an abducted and murdered child who reinforces the points, it makes for a strong conclusion.

So it’s not a fair and unbiased documentary- no big deal, it still would be fine if it was at least funny but it doesn’t really deliver there either. In all they have a few interesting points presented poorly and a pretty cool title sequence that looks like it cost more than the series itself but not much else. Either people leave their televisions on Showtime when they sleep or the producer has a ton of friends, either way Bullshit! is, well you know…

Tim Needles

Friday June 5

Hiroshi Watanabe, Santa Monica Pier, 2000



Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: Hearst Magazines' 8x10 Photography Biennial
Show time: 9 PM; Through Sept. 30
Venue: Hearst Tower
Food: Empanada Mama
Drink: Circus
Miscellaneous: Vintage

Celebrating the best new photographers, Hearst Magazines' 8x10 Photography Biennial is an international competition judged by the greats of the photo industry and featuring the works of eight winners in genres all across the medium. Though small, Empanada Mama packs a hefty punch with more than 40 kinds of empanadas. Choose from a wheat or corn flour shell to start as ingredients include basic rice and beans to what they have dubbed “Viagra,” a wheat flour empanada stuffed with shrimp, scallop, and crab ($3). Appropriately, at Circus, you’ll get free hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn without the animals, screaming babies, and clowns at this Rudy’s Bar spin-off that has beer just as cheap and a neighborhood feel. If cheap beer ain’t your thing, Vintage has a wine list with over 200 wines by the glass or bottle from most of the boutique wineries in Long Island and Upstate New York.

Friday June 5

Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Bands: TV on the Radio + The Dirty Projectors Get Tickets Here
Show time: 5:30 PM
Venue: Central Park, SummerStage (Rumsey Playfield & 72nd Street)
Food: Josie’s
Drink: Candle Bar
Miscellaneous: Emack & Bolio’s

Everybody loves TV on the Radio, and how could you not as their albums have done such a great job at exploring various music genres like Alt rock, soul, free jazz, electro and Afrobeat. Openers The Dirty Projectors are led by mastermind Dave Longstreth who has a knack for writing very gorgeous experimental pop songs. Dairy free, organic, and free-range are things that come up often on the menu at Josie’s, offering dishes like the Warm Macadamia-Crusted Natural Chicken Breast Dinner Salad ($17.75), several tofu and seitan specialty dishes and the Freshly Ground Char-Grilled Brandt Natural Beef Cheeseburger ($15.75), so everyone here will walk away happy. Comfortable and dimly lit, the Candle Bar has a pool table in the back and drink specials daily. For some of the best and most interesting ice cream in the city, Emack & Bolio’s offers some eclectic flavors like Deep Purple Cow (Black Raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips and blueberries). This place thakes their ice cream serious.

Saturday June 6

Location: West Village, NYC
Band: Dean & Britta
Show time: 7:30 PM
Venue: (le) poisson rouge
Food: Ear Inn
Drink: Village Lantern
Miscellaneous: Jacques Torres

Dean & Britta have been together since their prior band Luna and since then have put out some spectacular atmospheric pop music, scored the film The Squid and the Whale, Dean wrote the book Black Postcards and have scored the music for the DVD 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests. Expect music from their previous albums and maybe even a surprise or two. One of my favorite places for food, Ear Inn is a 200-year-old bar with a small menu featuring burgers, sandwiches, and a chalkboard with specials including Jerk Chicken that’s under $10. With $3 pints Monday thru Friday 12pm to 7pm along with comedy and music performances, the Village Lantern is a great bar to chill at after work, especially now that it’s finally getting warm outside. Watch some of the best chocolate in the world made right in front of your eyes or browse through the store and sample for yourself the fruits of this master chocolatier’s labor.

Saturday June 6

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Bands: Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors Convention
Show time: All day event; Through June 7
Venue: Jacob Javits Center
Food: Better Burger
Drink: The Half King
Miscellaneous: Chocolate Bar

For fans of horror, Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors Convention boasts an impressive list of the genre’s masters who will be there including directors Guillermo Del Toro, Dario Argento, and Tobe Hooper to name a few and a ton of actors, writers and more who have been making horror films for decades. Don’t forget events like taking seminars with legends and the Vampire Ball and you have one spooky good time. Louis Lanza, owner of Josie’s has created a burger joint with organic meat and ingredients that are healthier than any fast food restaurant you can think of without losing the taste. Better Burger offers hot dogs and burgers made of 100% meat. And yes, fries do come with that shake! Named after a Seneca Chief from the 18th century, The Half King is a great Irish bar offering pub food and beautiful wood décor. Grab a pint and hang at a table or sit in the backyard. I hope you like chocolate, because the Chocolate Bar, which looks like a chic café is a great NYC chocolatier run by Alison Nelson and creates retro wrapped chocolate that are as delicious looking as they taste.

Sunday June 7

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Bands: Balkan Beat Box Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: The Bell House
Food: Chiles & Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.

For fans of this Middle East meets West dance party band, Balkan Beat Box brings a circus like atmosphere and amazing music meant to be experienced live. This show will veer from the norm as they scale back their stage and offer up new music from their untitled upcoming album as well as cuts off their most recent album Nu Made. Ever have Oaxacan food? Chiles & Chocolate serves up some fantastic, not exactly Mexican food. Try the smoky flavored Mole Negro, one of the best mole sauces I’ve had in NYC. Before leaving, you must try one of the hot chocolates like the Chiles Y Chocolate. A hint of chipotle without too much heat is a nice kick start for the night. The Gate is a great Park Slope bar with excellent beers on tap and a outdoor courtyard to chill. If time permits, you must, and I mean MUST go to the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., a non-profit organization that helps kids with their writing, that’s fronted by a store selling super powers.

Lowboy
By John Wray
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)





I'd venture to say John Wray has written a very compelling 258 page novel…though I'm not so sure what it's all about. Yes, in some ways it's a rather straight forward telling of a young man's mental state. In another sense Lowboy is a paranoid journey into the fantastic 'twilight' of a city's tunnels and streets. In another sense it's a…

I love books like this. I’m very fond of non-linear story telling even when it is seemingly linear as it is in Lowboyy. That's the trick here, Wray has a deciding great eye for detail but he manages, epically at the beginning of the book to keep you off balance. Wray makes it about more than just his language and the narrator's point of view, it's really how the whole journey’s structure that keeps the reader deep in Will's mind, a protagonist who believes he holds a deep planet-saving secret.

I like all the characters we meet in Lowboy too, Will's mom Violet, Emily Wallace, it's a pretty rich short little book. If you like to be shook a bit, get deep into one character's rather odd world view and not really know what's happening at any given moment, John Wray handles it all masterfully in this odd story part sci-fi parable, part mental health drama, part love story.

Give Lowboy a glance.

Ralph Greco, Jr.