Williamsburg is Dead

Barack Rock Benefit - Indie Rock We Can Believe In

The Barack Rock Benefit is tonight at 7:30 the Music Hall of Williamsburg. 40$

Nobody to watch the debates with? Then perhaps you'll accept the company of Andrew Bird, the Fiery Furnaces and Eugene Mirman whilst you watch Obama town hall it up with cranky old man Mc(insert terse snide remarkery here).

Yes We Can Ironically Donate Money to a Presidential Campaign. So As Long As There Are Indie Bands
Yes, 40 dollars may seem steep, but bear in mind that all of the proceeds go directly to the Obama campaign. And sure, the polls look good now, and that rusty Republican machine is finally starting to creak and groan, but we're not home free yet.

Just think of Barack Rock like a donation that comes with the added of bonus of some virtuoso whistling, prog pop, and Flight of the Conchords-y comedy. Check it out tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Doors open at 6:30.

Edge Banner Mocks Palin, Alienates Prospective Buyers

The gigantic skyline-blocking, allegedly culture-ruining, soon-to-be hip I-banker haven otherwise known as the The Edge has just gone a long ways towards redeeming itself. They've also likely pissed off 50 percent of their prospective buyers, who've no doubt got their fingers crossed for some permanent Bush tax cuts. But, credit must be given to the Edge, even if it's just a ploy to demonstrate their hipness--

Come on, admit it. It's funny.

If only there was a building half that tall in Alaska, she might have gone to the roof and actually seen the outline of a real Russian town--who knows what she'd claim about her foreign policy prowess then?

[Banner reads: Sarah Palin Live Here, See Wall Street]

Michael Cera Attacked While Filming in Williamsburg?

Not even celebrities are safe on the mean streets of New York. While filming "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" in Williamsburg and the LES, the stars evidently became the target of malicious attacks. Or at least the target of moldy avocados. That's right, in a startling interview, the Superbad star Michael Cera revealed how tough things really are in seedy, anything-goes Williamsburg.

"Sometimes on Fridays or Saturdays if we were shooting at 2am and bars were letting out we'd get the spillover of drunk people . . . And drunks can be pretty obnoxious sometimes and were screaming and running through the shots. We even had things thrown at us. An avocado was thrown at us by a homeless guy."

Wow. I'm glad he's alright. Maybe Judd Apatow was on hand to deflect the errant avocado with the lid of a trash can.

And there is: the latest dubiously newsworthy bit of entirely unnecessary celebrity gossip to hit the Burg. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

Crest Cafe Closes - Farewell, Fine Cafe

An unfortunate victim of the ever-accelerating recession, the wonderful Crest Cafe closed its doors last Friday. Many of these very blog posts were written within its walls, or out back in the comfy, always relaxing patio area. Crest was run by maybe the friendliest, most honest and enthusiastic proprietor I've met in Williamsburg, which makes its closing all the more depressing--he took a sizable hit in his investments, he told me, with the fall of AIG, Lehman, and Merrill Lynch.

So I lament the closing for both selfish reasons (where am I to go now? Uber-trendy El Beit? Corporate Office of Williamsburg, Atlas Cafe?) and for the sake of the owner, who will no doubt do well for himself in future ventures (All the best, Juan!). Crest was an unpretentious, welcoming place where everyone felt at home, and where I looked forward to setting up for a long afternoon/evening of work, or idly carousing with friends time and time again.

Here's a fond farewell to my favorite coffee shop in Williamsburg--to the Crest Cafe!

Brick Theater Has First Mainstage Season, Gets Some Broadway Love

If you've never seen a show at the Brick Theater, you're missing out on perhaps the most innovative, high quality plays put on in Williamsburg--Nay, all of New York. Now in the last week of their odd 'n acclaimed Clown Festival (shows end Sept. 28) the Brick Theater has announced their first ever Mainstage season--five different, intriguing shows, each of which will have month long runs. It's enough to get the Broadway World all excited--and us too.

You can get discounted season passes, as well as tickets to acting workshops, and the Brick Theater's website.

And if there's one show the Brick puts on that you must see, it's the impossibly enjoyable Suspicious Package interactive noir--it's in its fourth month on an extended run, and it plays every weekend. It's off the wall, all gloriously crime novel-y, and you, more or less, are the star of the show. Long live the Brick!

A Look Back at 100 Years of Williamsburg History From Dec 16, 1883

Ye olde link to rest of ye olde article.

An Angry Rant: Costumed Hipsters

First panda protests, then lame pageants, and now kickball feuds. I'm glad that there isn't a presidential election or financial crisis to be concerned about. God knows that I don't have anything against kicking back for a bit of frivolous fun, but fighting over pirate flags and protesting your right to dance in a panda suit makes Williamsburg look like the lamest liberal arts college in the universe. What's next, a rally for more affordable frisbees?

Either everyone from NYU is moving just a little farther down the L train, or some members of my generation are simply stuck in some kind of childhood time warp. It makes sense for college kids to make a big deal over stupid things like kickball rivalries and botched faux-beauty pageants--they are 19, their parents still pay their rent and they are going to move to a different city in three years anyway. But if you are 25 and the most urgent concern in your life is whether or not that other kickball team was totally hatin' on you, then you need to start doing something useful with your life.

I understand that I am generalizing. Most people I meet in Williamsburg don't act like college sophomores and are actually very nice people. But if you have ever been greeted with an eye roll after telling someone you live in Williamsburg, you can probably blame the hordes of juvenile pandas and pirates.

Good Morning Williamsburg

Williamsburg Sunrise from Mike on Vimeo.

Bloomberg, Hasids, and Democrats, O My!

Brooklyn politics can get pretty messy--as detailed in this NY Daily News story about warring Hasidic factions, a Democratic party in peril, resentment over circumcision meddling, and Bloomberg snubbing.

As an added bonus, the story features three pictures of New York politicians on the right hand side, each one older than the one above. And if you scroll down the page quickly, it looks like the sequence at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the villain drinks from the wrong grail. Who knew Brooklyn politics could be so much fun?

Artists! Show Off Your Work at Crest Hardware

The always art-world-friendly folks at Crest Hardware are looking to select an artist to fill their window display. If you've got ideas, check out the Call for Proposals info. The work will stay in their well-lit window in the front for two months or so. Happy crafting.