Sweet Blog O'Mine

Category: Music

  • Gettting So Much Better*

    So after I survived the trials and tribulations of the first portion of the weekend, I had nowhere to go but up. And up it went. I spent Saturday with my friend Jenn. We attempted to meet up with the Run Against Bush event in Union Square, but somehow managed to miss it, as we were running a bit late. We couldn’t quite figure out how we couldn’t seem to find a pack of people wearing identical blue t-shirts who were supposed to be running conspicuously from Union Square to Washington Square Park. After changing, we ended up going shopping and diiscussing men. We were talking about our financial situation, and we concluded that the whole thing is somewhat of a vicious cycle — we spend money on clothes we like so that we feel confident and attract men, but this leaves us broke, and if we don’t spend the money, we don’t attract them. We realized, of course, that this is merely a way to rationalize purchasing any given item. Jenn encouraged me to buy girly-girl clothes (when left to my own devices, I tend to buy lots of black and hang out in jeans, tshirts and hoodies). More on that later.

    That night we went to a dinner party, hosted by our mutual friend Jeff, who was in town from upstate. After fresh pasta with delectable homemade pesto (loved the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes, Jeff), salad with feta cheese, olives, and a healthy dose of red wine, Jeff proceeded to go around the room and compliment each of us. He had brought together his friends from different facets of his life, and took great joy in having us meet each other. Taking the time to go around the room and highlighting what he likes about each of us was pleasantly eye-opening; it made me realize how rarely we take time to let our friends know what we love about them. We should do more of this as a general rule. So to all of my friends out there, you rock! Anyway, after the feel-good-fest, we were off to Winnie’s for some solid dive bar karaoke. And speaking of friends, at Winnie’s I ran into Dan, a friend of my friend Gaby, and through the magic of Dodgeball, my friends Matthew and Manhattan Transfer stopped by too. A good time was had by all, at least until we closed down the place and they kicked us out. Thanks to Jeff (pictured below) for a fine meal, good company, and a solid evening of revelry at Winnie’s.

    Me_and_jeff_at_karaoke

    The next day, after a brief recovery, I met up with my mom, to catch up and do a few errands before we headed off to foodie at a gallery downtown. This foodie was a six-country culinary tour, with stops in Mexico, India, Italy, France, Portugal, and the local tri-state area. I’ve put up the pictures (from both nights), but not sure I have the energy for a write-up right now. All in all, it was a good time, and a special thanks to mom for treating me! My attempts to go home and go to bed after foodie were futile, and we ended up at ‘inoteca for some more wine and snacks. And as an aside, if you haven’t had their chicken liver, you must go have some. Immediately. On my way out, my friend David introduced me to the two women he had been chatting up at the bar. They complimented me on my outfit — lo and behold, it consisted primarily of the girly-girl clothes that Jenn had convinced me to buy the day before. Okay, you were right — that stuff does look good on me, so thanks, Jenn!

    Off to bed now, but I did want to note that tomorrow night I’m going to my first food event where I am using my Gothamist Food press credentials, Harvest in the Square. I get to check in at the press table and everything! Ok, must calm down. I’m sounding like a dork again here . . .

    * A tribute to the Beatles’ Getting Better

  • There’s a Party in my Panties!

    And you’re all invited! Join me for “There’s a Party in my Panties!” — an evening of cocktails and vintage lingerie at the Tainted Lady Lounge. Tainted Lady Lounge, 318 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Thursday, August 19, 2004, 8:00 PM. Sponsored by Hottpants, Nichelle Newsletter, and the Vicar’s Vice. Click here to RSVP and I’ll see you there.

  • Another Bit of Geekiness

    I get mocked quite a bit for having a blog. A blog? What the hell’s that? Why would you do that? You mean you have a website? What a dork! Yes, I am a big geek; I’ll admit it. But there’s another bit of geekiness that I haven’t yet shared with you, dear readers. It’s a part of me that has been around for over fifteen years now, ever since my freshman year in college. And now, I will share it with you. I . . . am . . . an a cappella geek. There — now it’s out. During my years at Tufts, I was in the Amalgamates, their first and oldest coed group. In fact, the group is celebrating its 20th anniversary this coming fall. Many of my close friends here in New York are actually Tufts a cappella folks. After Tufts, I missed a cappella so much that I had a brief stint in the Copley Cats, an all female group in Boston, and then once I started law school at NYU, I actually started a coed group there — Substantial Performance. It still exists to this day (yes, that’s the legacy I left in law school).

    But why expose the a cappella side now, you ask? Well, this past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Minimum Wage, an off-Broadway show featuring an a cappella group of the same name. It was cute and quirky, and had some fantastic songs, interesting arrangements, and extremely talented vocalists; best of all, it had tons of inside a cappella jokes, most of which I got. The a cappella world is a small one — turns out the music director is a friend of one of my Amalgamate friends, and one of the writers and arrangers is none other than Sean Altman (mentioned previously in my blog, and a member of the Losers Lounge, which you should go see if you haven’t already). The show closes at the end of the month, so go see it if you can!

  • Goin’ Down to the Big Easy

    The wait is over. It’s finally time.

    Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for this moment since last year’s trip. Wasn’t sure I’d make it this year, but thanks to a very hospitable college friend and a travel partner with a flexible schedule, I am once again able to make the pilgrimage to Jazz Fest in New Orleans.

    As you might have guessed, two of my very favorite things are food and music. New Orleans generally, and Jazz Fest specifically, bring those two worlds together in an incredibly decadent atmosphere. If you poke around the Jazz Fest website, you can see the wide variety of musical artists and vast menu of culinary delights awaiting me. I have always said that if I lived in New Orleans year-round, I’d end up as a fat, lazy, alcoholic slut. It just kind of brings that out in you. Arguably, that might be okay for a week or so, but not so good as a lifestyle choice.

    By the time you read this, I’ll be on a plane, but never fear, I’ll have a full report when I return. I already know of a soft-shell crab po-boy with my name on it.

  • Child of the 80’s

    My brother and sister very often blame me for not introducing them to music, movies, and pop culture of the 80’s. I get no reprieve from this blame, despite the fact that they weren’t even born until 1981, were 7 years old when I basically left home for good, and had little to no interest in my music until the past ten years or so.

    I am truly a child of the 80’s. My iPod is filled with artists like the Clash, Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, and the Police. It even contains songs from the Buggles, the Thompson Twins, Howard Jones, Joe Jackson, and Madness. My brain is filled with more useless song lyrics than the majority of people I know, sometimes precluding room in there for much else, it seems. I listened to WLIR when it was good (and when it existed — it’s gone, apparently). Take this 80’s song lyric quiz and see if you can beat my score, which was an 83.5.


    vh180st.jpg

  • Gefilte Dog, or What I Like About Jew, Take Two

    This weekend, I am off to Portland, Maine, for Passover. Sadly, I will be missing my monthly wine club society meeting — we meet the first Sunday of every month. When I told my neighbor, who organizes the wine club society, that I would be home for Passover, he responded, correctly, “but Passover’s on Monday.” “Yes,” I replied, “but we’re having our seder on Sunday because it’s easier for everyone.” He rolled his eyes in disgust. “You guys are changing the holiday for convenience?” “Um, yes.” “How very religious of you.”

    Now, I know that some might categorize me as a bad Jew. I eat pork and shellfish, often together. One of my favorite culinary delights is the pancetta-wrapped shrimp at ‘inoteca. I only go to temple on high holidays. I have a tattoo. I don’t like lox. But, strangely enough, I generally fast on Yom Kippur. I keep kosher for Passover (or at least I make a valiant attempt). And, I might add, these behaviors definitely make me the Jewiest Jew in my family. In my family, attendance at temple is not mandatory by any means, even on high holidays. My Dad always does a bizarre editing job on The Concise Family Seder, our Hagaddah of choice, so that it is even more concise. He tends to edit out pieces of the story and keep in the random commentary. I also think I’m the only one in the family who remembers the Passover story year after year. Yes, it’s the same story. I have even suggested that we rent The Prince of Egypt, just to keep it fresh in everyone’s minds. Oy vey. But — we are definitely a Jewish family, with Jewish values. Every holiday is an excuse to gather friends, family, and strays for a good meal. We give back to the community in many ways. All three kids were bar or bat mitzvah’d (well, the twins were b’nai mitzvah’d together), and I’m pretty sure we all like gefilte fish.

    In other news this weekend, I am making my very last excusable visit to college (with the exception of my brother’s graduation in May). My brother is playing in a steel drum concert at Bates, followed by a Yo La Tengo show. So, I’ll be hangin’ with the college kids. And speaking of Jewish culture, there’s a Klezmer band up at Bates called Gefilte Dog — I always loved that name.

    I’m also looking forward to my second annual Passover seder at Sammy’s Roumanian steakhouse next Tuesday (an official seder night, for those keeping track). Stay tuned, and Happy Pesach!

  • What I Like About Jew

    It’s always a little odd being a Jew in New York during the Christmas season. Despite all the political correctness in our midst, it really is still Christmas season. No doubt about it. Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas music . . .

    But yesterday I saw it. A sign from above that, yes, it is Chanukah season here too. As I was smack in the middle of Herald Square (which might as well be Christmas central), I heard the tinkling of “Rock of Ages” being played over a loudspeaker. I turned, and in all its glory was — The Mitzvah Tank.


    Mitzvah_tank.jpg

    For those of you who aren’t in the know, the Mitzvah Tank has been around since 1974, prompting Jews to do good deeds, or mitzvot. Now, I don’t know if it makes more appearances during Chanukah, but it was a comforting sight nonetheless. Later in the evening, I also saw a jeep-like vehicle with a large, blue menorah strapped to the top. It was one of those moments when I really wish I had my digi-cam with me. Damn.

    I have never done the “traditional” Jewish Christmas of movies and Chinese food, so this year, I am going to Makor to watch Woody Allen movies and eat Chinese food with fellow Members of the Tribe. I am seriously considering following that with going to the Knitting Factory to see What I Like About Jew, a parody rock revue with a Jewish flair, with songs such as “Hanukah with Monica” (She put that age-old myth to bed – ’bout Jewish girls not giving head). Oh yeah.

    Granted, as a Jew, I have never felt truly left out during Christmas. My stepfather isn’t Jewish, so I always have Christmas eve with him and my mom, and Christmas day with my (step?) aunt and cousins. Basically, it’s the best of both worlds. Happy Chanukah everyone — even the goyim!

  • What I Like About Jew

    It’s always a little odd being a Jew in New York during the Christmas season. Despite all the political correctness in our midst, it really is still Christmas season. No doubt about it. Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas music . . .

    But yesterday I saw it. A sign from above that, yes, it is Chanukah season here too. As I was smack in the middle of Herald Square (which might as well be Christmas central), I heard the tinkling of “Rock of Ages” being played over a loudspeaker. I turned, and in all its glory was — The Mitzvah Tank.


    Mitzvah_tank.jpg

    For those of you who aren’t in the know, the Mitzvah Tank has been around since 1974, prompting Jews to do good deeds, or mitzvot. Now, I don’t know if it makes more appearances during Chanukah, but it was a comforting sight nonetheless. Later in the evening, I also saw a jeep-like vehicle with a large, blue menorah strapped to the top. It was one of those moments when I really wish I had my digi-cam with me. Damn.

    I have never done the “traditional” Jewish Christmas of movies and Chinese food, so this year, I am going to Makor to watch Woody Allen movies and eat Chinese food with fellow Members of the Tribe. I am seriously considering following that with going to the Knitting Factory to see What I Like About Jew, a parody rock revue with a Jewish flair, with songs such as “Hanukah with Monica” (She put that age-old myth to bed – ’bout Jewish girls not giving head). Oh yeah.

    Granted, as a Jew, I have never felt truly left out during Christmas. My stepfather isn’t Jewish, so I always have Christmas eve with him and my mom, and Christmas day with my (step?) aunt and cousins. Basically, it’s the best of both worlds. Happy Chanukah everyone — even the goyim!

  • Mango Quickly in Boston

    Attention all Boston area readers (are there any Boston area readers out there?) — my brother’s band, Mango Quickly, is playing at Harper’s Ferry with Boston’s The Nine on Wednesday, November 26th. The show starts at 9:30, $5 cover, 21+. Harper’s Ferry is at 156 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA, 617.254.9743. For more info email [email protected].


    NineMQ8x10.jpg

    Mango Quickly is fun and funky — I promise you won’t be able to sit still, and I’m not saying that just because my brother is the drummer!

  • Mango Quickly in Boston

    Attention all Boston area readers (are there any Boston area readers out there?) — my brother’s band, Mango Quickly, is playing at Harper’s Ferry with Boston’s The Nine on Wednesday, November 26th. The show starts at 9:30, $5 cover, 21+. Harper’s Ferry is at 156 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA, 617.254.9743. For more info email [email protected].


    NineMQ8x10.jpg

    Mango Quickly is fun and funky — I promise you won’t be able to sit still, and I’m not saying that just because my brother is the drummer!