The Bohemian Beer Garden. Mid-summer night's bliss.

Posted by Amol at 08:44 PM | Permalink

6pm. Still lines way around the block.

Posted by Amol at 06:49 PM | Permalink

Launch. Line around the block.

Posted by Amol at 03:58 PM | Permalink

Warm Up est arrivee

Posted by Amol at 11:30 AM | Permalink

====================================
TONIGHT Fri. 6/29:

THE BEETS (Queens, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/thebeetsbeat
"This is a band that seemed to have appeared out of the ground (of Queens, apparently) fully formed without a formative period . . .
Predictions are dangerous so I'll try to sidestep making one now, but wherever the Beets may go from here, I have a feeling it'll be worth watching." -IMPOSE MAGAZINE
http://www.imposemagazine.com/mag/?p=446

THE NUCLEARS (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/thenuclears

THE SO SO GLOS (Queens, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/sosoglos

QUEENS DENIM ROCKERS (Queens, NY)
http://queensdenimrockers.com/

8:00 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE
10-93 Jackson Avenue
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from Brooklyn & Manhattan
Zero stops from fabtacular.

G to 21 St
7 to Vernon-Jackson
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

presented by LICpop
http://www.licpop.com

******************************************

UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE NABE (plan ahead!):
+7/06: Takenobu, Bryan Dunn, Shwa @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/13: Andrew Scandal, Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick @ The Creek
and the Cave
+7/14: Ching Chong Song(?), Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick, Jib
+Kidder @
Dominie's Hoek
+7/20: Frontier Ruckus, Rivers & Lakes @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/27: Grrropolis, The Nice Jenkins @ The Creek and the Cave
+8/3: Ooh La La, Thats Him! That's the Guy!, Dylan Brock @ The Creek
and the Cave
+8/4: Afuche, Arrah and the Ferns @ The Creek and the Cave
+8/10: Umberto, Karl Sturk @ The Creek and the Cave
+9/21: The Macpodz @ The Creek and the Cave

Posted by Amol at 01:11 PM | Permalink

The totally crappy pizza place at Ct Sq is a lame bar on the weekends...for pool. Oh well.

Posted by Amol at 01:44 AM | Permalink

There's a new art scene cowboy in town

Apparently they had hundreds of people at their North LIC shindig last week. Next event is about a month away, but we hear there is lots going on to check out meanwhile

Texas Firehouse

Posted by Amol at 03:57 PM | Permalink

When a neighborhood grows, you expect a corresponding growth in businesses that service that neighborhood. Take laundromats for instance.



It was not so long ago that LIC had only one Laudromat - now there are many. LICNYC just noticed a sign in a window on Jackson Avenue that is for a change in use from apartment to laundromat. Other recent laundry

additions are on 45th Road and just off Vernon Blvd opposite the dog run. These new ones are in addition to the already exisiting one on 21st street opposite the C-Town and dry cleaning options available on 21st Street

(Skyview), in the basement of the Citibank building, and on 48th Ave in Citilights. Some of the bigger apartment buildings also offer drycleaning services for their residents.



If only there were more shoe repair options! After the one on 45th Road closed last year, the one in the basement of the Citibank building seems to be the only one and it's not open on the weekend, which makes retrieving shoes somewhat challenging. Hauling shoes into Manhattan to cobblers in Grand Central Station or other subway stations is a good second option, but not ideal. Hopefully, the growth in the neighborhood will spawn more soon.

Posted by Amol at 01:58 PM | Permalink

Someone complain. A month since Memorial Day and even ON the day they said they would open, the damn pool still isn't open.

Posted by Amol at 01:48 PM | Permalink

5 star is back. The genius marketers at the Punjabi put their original sign back up.

Posted by Amol at 01:39 PM | Permalink

Going up.

Posted by Amol at 01:37 PM | Permalink

Vertical living

Posted by Amol at 08:30 PM | Permalink

Well, to each his own. But we think a froofy boutique would be a better choice. Across from LIC bar.

Posted by Amol at 07:56 PM | Permalink

Progress at the green monster?

Posted by Amol at 07:53 PM | Permalink

Nearly ready for Warm Up.

Posted by Amol at 07:26 PM | Permalink

The Echelon looks like it's done selling and folks are happily moved in and using that wild FreshDirect fridge in the lobby.

But wait -- Rick Rosa tells us there are a handful of apartments still available to rent. So move on in without the commitment of a 30 year mortgage.

Apparently, they will all be gone in 30 days...

Posted by Amol at 10:39 AM | Permalink

It's on for summer -- at sunset, at Socrates. Movies! And food... LICNYC can guarantee you'll love the entry from India -- Kal Ho Naa Ho. Man, was that a good one...

JULY 11 TURKEY
CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL
2005, 90 mins. Directed by Fatih Akin. A tour of Istanbul's unique musical scene, with its pungent blend of rock, modern, and traditional sounds, this film "uses music to paint a portrait of a vibrant cosmopolitan city and provide a window into a rich and varied national culture." (Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times)

JULY 18 BRAZIL
THIS IS BOSSA NOVA
2005, 126 mins. Directed by Paulo Thiago. This enthralling chronicle of the Brazilian sound that became an international sensation traces the music's roots from 1950s samba. The mix of rare archival footage, interviews, and contemporary performances focuses largely on the living musical legends Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyra.

JULY 25 JAPAN
LINDA LINDA LINDA
2005, 114 mins. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. A girl band rehearses
for a rock festival in this dryly-funny charming film that is named for its irresistible theme song. "An extremely well-written, emotionally complex coming-of-age tale that has a John Hughesian respect for teenage angst."
(G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle)

AUGUST 1 USA
THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T
1953, 88 mins. Directed by Roy Rowland. With Tommy Rettig. Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) wrote the screenplay and lyrics for this wildly inventive musical fantasy about
a young boy whose dreams and nightmares are sparked by the fear of his overbearing piano teacher.

AUGUST 8 INDIA
KAL HO NAA HO
2003, 186 mins. Directed by Nikhil Advani. This Bollywood extravaganza is a Romeo-and-Juliet tale set, and partly filmed, in New York City. This film "has little notion of restraint. Its luxuriant running time allows lots of room for spectacular musical numbers and dramatic climaxes." (Dave Kehr, The New York Times)

AUGUST 15 CUBA
CALLE 54
2000, 105 mins. Directed by Fernando Trueba. With Tito Puente. A stylish and loving tribute to the Latin American jazz scene. "The film is such a pure expression of the director's love for the music, a love so infectious it should leave you elated." (Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times)

AUGUST 22 SOUTH AFRICA
U-CARMEN E-KHYELISTSHA
2005, 120 mins. Directed by Mark Dornford-May. Georges Bizet's Carmen is magically transported to modern-day South Africa. "The setting brims over
with the same wicked froth of danger, exoticism, and passion that 19th-century Seville must have had before it got stylized into oblivion." (Julia Wallace, Village Voice)

Posted by Amol at 05:18 PM | Permalink

PS1's Warm Up schedule is out

Lineup
June 30
DFA hosts with Invisible Conga People (live)
Tim & Tim (Tim Goldsworthy and Tim Sweeney)
The Juan Maclean (DJ Set)
Shit Robot aka Marcus Lambkin
plus BLARVUSTER (Matthew Welch)

July 7
A Touch of Class hosts with
A Touch of Class (DJ set)
Lee Douglas (Rong Music)
Services (Live)
Kudu (Live)
Preacher and the Knife (live)
plus Bubblyfish/Tristan Perich (live)

July 14: agnes b. presents . . .
Poni Hoax
The Penelopes
Frustration
Morpheus
JB Wiz
Ex Nihilo Crew
Plus Marina Rosenfeld and Zeena Perkins

July 21
Objektivity hosts with
Dennis Ferrer
The Martinez Brothers
+special guest live performances
Plus Eric Singer’s LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots)

July 28
Tummy Touch brings you
DJ's: Ursula 1000, Tim "Love" Lee, and Ramon Santana
with live acts Wunmi and Unicornicopia

August 4
TBA

August 11
Trouble Man Unlimited/Italians Do It Better bring you
Glass Candy (live)
Mike Simonetti + a special guest DJ
plus Elliot Sharp (live)

August 18
Rong Music host with
DJ Spun
Ben Cook (aka Stranger)
Eric Duncan (Rub n Tug)
Woolfy Projections (live)
plus Dewanatron (Leon and Brian Dewan, live) & Ray Sweeten and Zach Layton (live)

August 25
Escort (live)
Felix Dickinson (Cynic, Urban Myth, Bastedos; London, England)
plus LoVid (live) and David Linton (live)

September 1
I.C.E. (International Chamber Ensemble)
+Very special guests to be announced soon

Posted by Amol at 12:41 AM | Permalink

Kind of.

Posted by Amol at 08:26 PM | Permalink

Right here in the hood, at Plaxall's parking lot.

Saturday June 23 at Hunters Point Plaza on Jackson Ave near the Pulaski. 10a-3p

Posted by Amol at 11:20 AM | Permalink

***Friday, June 15: biggest indie show of the year in L.I.C. N.Y.C.****

This Friday at The Creek and the Cave, LICpop is honored to host perhaps our most impressive lineup yet. At the core of the bill are the two most-buzzed acts from Michigan right now, Great Lakes Myth Society and Chris Bathgate, both touring in support of stellar new albums. Much-adored New York pop outfit Beat Radio end the evening, while locals I am a Bolt of Lightning and Tom Drake and the Shiny Machines kick-off the night.

You will not want to miss this-- if there is one show you attend in Queens this year, this should be the one. You may never be able to catch these quickly-rising acts in such an intimate space in NYC again, especially for a mere $5.

Collectively, acts on this bill have been featured in Spin, CNN, CMJ, NPR, and BBC Collective, toured Europe with Saturday Looks Good to Me, covered in music blogs ranging from 3hive to Sixeyes to Songs:Illinois, and have played to packed rooms at top clubs like the Knitting Factory, Union Hall, SXSW, and Detroit's Magic Stick. Between them, they've shared bills with The Hidden Cameras, Okkervil River, The Walkmen, Andrew Bird, The Gourds, Canada, The High Strung, Danielson, Nomo, The Muggabears, The Lisps, Magnolia Electric Co., Blanche, Great Lake Swimmers, Akron/Family, O'Death, Creaky Boards, The Hard Lessons, Mason Proper, Arrah and the Ferns, Tally Hall, The Muggs, The Mugs, and Apostle of Hustle. Critics have compared these acts to The Decemberists, The Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Sebadoh, Luna, Galaxie 500, Clap your Hands Say Yeah, Broken Social Scene, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Will Oldham, XTC, The Pogues, Wilco, Okkervil River, Neil Young, Iron & Wine, and Neutral Milk Hotel.

The show's been getting some press and blog coverage (you might still be able to win tickets and the new GLMS album, if you hurry):

The L Magazine says:
"We're currently obsessed with the four songs Great Lakes Myth Society have available online."

Subinev CD/Ticket giveaway:
http://subinev.com/newblog/archives/000954.php

Pop Tarts Suck Toasted is doin' the same thing:
http://poptartssucktoasted.blogspot.com/2007/06/see-beat-radio-friday-night.html

Get there early and beat the sell-out!

But enough with the hype and buzz and all that marketeering, just trust me on this. I don't make shit up. This will be the sort of night where you're alternately hoisting, and crying in, your drink.

Be there. Raise a beer or six, gaze out from your misty eyes and aging, self-poisoned insides, let nostalgia for summers past rush through your nerves, and feel alive again, if for a few minutes.

See you then,
BZ

P.S. Who doesn't love a roomful of drunk Michiganians?

P.P.S. Did you know that L.I.C. is closer and easier to get to from, say, Williamsburg than either the Lower East Side or Park Slope are?
And that it isn't a foreign country, and is in fact even in New York City, and almost in Brooklyn and Manhattan, even? Tell your friends!
According to HopStop:
from Metropolitan and Lorimer, Brooklyn...
-to Park Slope (Union Hall, Southpaw): 44 minutes.
-to Lower East Side (Pianos, Cake Shop, Living Room): 32 minutes.
-to Long Island City (Creek and the Cave, Dominie's Hoek): 22 minutes.

P.P.P.S. The back patio's open for all your smoking and outdoorsy needs, hawt bartender Zoe will be pouring drunks (request a Long Island City Iced Tea!) and spinning jamz downstairs, and the Mexicanesque grub is tough to beat (I recommend the spinach/avocado/tofu burrito).

******************************************

+++Friday, June 15+++

BEAT RADIO (Bellmore, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/beatradio
http://www.beatradio.org
"Beat Radio spin wistful melodies with subtle, vulnerable lyrics in the same vein as Luna or Sebadoh's more tender moments. Their songs have a radiant, familiar quality that grows on you with each listen."
-3hive

GREAT LAKES MYTH SOCIETY (Ann Arbor, MI) http://www.greatlakesmythsociety.com
http://www.myspace.com/greatlakesmythsociety
"You know that perfect moment when you're drinking? The moment when you can grin about everything — the good things, the bad things, the fucking depressing shit — that's the moment they capture in most of their songs. Maybe it takes a heavy drinker to make that case and, judging by their lyrics, heavy drinkers to write those songs, but listening to their albums and seeing them live — I just want to lift up a bottle and put back a glass, and sing along. Because the songs are about my/your life." -Jasper/WebVomit

CHRIS BATHGATE (Ann Arbor, MI)
http://www.myspace.com/chrisbathgate
"Best Solo Artist: Make no bones about it, Chris Bathgate writes extremely smart and beautiful indie folk pop. - Real Detroit Weekly

I AM A BOLT OF LIGHTNING (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/iamaboltoflightning
"Don't call this emo or the label will hunt you down. I think anti-folk would be safe but if you don't hear from me tomorrow you'll know who to blame." -Songs:Illinois

TOM DRAKE AND THE SHINY MACHINES (Manhattan, NY) http://www.myspace.com/tomdrakemusic
"This is very good hot NYC night music when the only light in the room is your computer screen." -Olive Juice Music

Early show: ****7:30 PM***
$5

The Creek and the Cave
http://www.thecreekandthecave.com
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC OMG, 1 stop from Brooklyn & Manhattan! Zero stops from fabtacular.

G to 21 St
7 to Vernon-Jackson
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

Presented by http://www.LICpop.com

=== Also, while not in LIC proper, Check out Todd P's Springtime Unamplified Acoustic BBQ on the Southern tip of Roosevelt Island on Sunday the 17th. http://www.toddpnyc.com ===

******************************************

UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE NABE (plan ahead!):
+6/22: Katie Elevitch @ The Creek and the Cave
+6/23: Al Duvall, The Pindrop Symphony @ Dominie's Hoek
+7/06: Bryan Dunn @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/13: Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/14: Ching Chong Song, Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick, Jib Kidder
+@
Dominie's Hoek
+7/20: Frontier Ruckus, Rivers & Lakes @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/27: Grrropolis, The Nice Jenkins @ The Creek and the Cave
+8/3: David Martin, Dylan Brock @ The Creek and the Cave
+8/4: Afuche, Arrah and the Ferns @ The Creek and the Cave

Posted by Amol at 06:16 PM | Permalink

Some of you have already checked out destinationlic.com, a new site (still in the works) featuring LIC event listings and cultural news, and we've enjoyed hearing from you.

This week, we have extended information on a few summer kick-off events, like Socrates Sculpture Park's 6th Annual Summer Solstice Celebration on 6/21, and the first of P.S.1's Warm Up parties, scheduled for 6/30. And we're reminding everyone to check out this Friday's show at The Creek and the Cave, featuring music from five terrific bands and a giveaway.

Also, we recently chatted with the owner of Kika Hair Design--You can check out her story and hair care advice. There are tons of friendly business owners around town, and we'll be including more on local shops soon.

Please drop us a line if you have a question or comment, and if you have an event you'd like to share with the community, we'll post it. -Anne

Posted by DestinationLIC at 02:43 PM | Permalink

LIC's nearest outdoor pool (with water in it) is the one in Astoria Park. It is huge (330 feet long - the largest in NYC). It opens on 29 June. You can enjoy great views of the Triborough bridge while you cool off. For more information, check out: NYC Gov

Posted by Amol at 06:58 PM | Permalink

From last year

Just over the Pulaski bridge on the cusp of Greenpoint and WIlliamsburg is McCarren Park. There is a great concert and party venue there at the site of the (long since emptied) McCarren pool. Here's the link to the calendar of events this summer, beginning on 24 June 2007: The pool parties. All kinds of cool bands and djs are already lined up. Events are free and well worth checking out.

Posted by Amol at 06:56 PM | Permalink

At 239 Banker Street in Wburg.

Posted by Amol at 02:53 PM | Permalink

You gotta check out Alien Works and their cinematheque on Greenoint's Franklin St and India. 9pm showings on the weekends.

Posted by Amol at 02:41 PM | Permalink

This summer's Warm Up tent is taking shape.

Posted by Amol at 01:50 PM | Permalink

You probably knew that The Sopranos (which just wrapped) and Sex & the City were filmed right here in LIC at SiliverCup Studios.

Coming soon (currently filming) are Cashmere Mafia (Lucy Liu) and well they are currently doing 30 Rock which is hilarious.

More

Posted by Amol at 11:41 AM | Permalink

The lovely French colonial in the shadow of the QB is coming down. If you walk by today you can see it half-constructed.

Apparently it sold to hotelier Andre Balazs who owns The Mercer for $4.9mm -- details

In its former glory:

Posted by Amol at 11:37 AM | Permalink

I'm back in town and digging out from the pile of moving boxes and backlog of project tasks that have fallen by the wayside. We've got a little show going on tonight feauturing a sprawling young band from the Midwest and a make-up from last week's canceled show. Come on down, have some beers, sit on the patio, and enjoy some sounds.

***Prepare now for next Friday's big show and spread the word, which is headlined by hawt buzz bands BEAT RADIO, GREAT LAKES MYTH SOCIETY, and CHRIS BATHGATE, as well as opening sets by I AM A BOLT OF LIGHTNING and TOM DRAKE & THE SHINY MACHINES***

******************************************

+++Friday, June 8+++

JUSTICE OF THE UNICORNS (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.justiceoftheunicorns.com/
Playing their hit jams "Pterodactyl Sun," "Malibu is High End," and "The Pill that Killed Hendrix."

VINCE DYNAMIC (Essexville, MI)
http://www.myspace.com/vincedynamic
"It's not often that you can hear a group switch from a heartfelt torch song to something that sounds like a Partridge Family tune."
-SEMI-LIVE!

9:00 PM
$5

The Creek and the Cave
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from Brooklyn & Manhattan

G to 21 St
7 to Vernon-Jackson
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

Presented by http://www.LICpop.com

******************************************

UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE NABE (plan ahead!):
+6/15: Beat Radio, Great Lakes Myth Society, Chris Bathgate, I am a
Bolt of Lightning, Tom Drake & the Shiny Machines @ The Creek and the Cave
+6/22: Katie Elevitch @ The Creek and the Cave
+6/23: Al Duvall, The Pindrop Symphony @ Dominie's Hoek
+7/06: Umberto, Karl Sturk, Setting Sun @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/13: Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/14: Ching Chong Song, Lord of the Yum-Yum, Charlie Slick, Jib Kidder
+@
Dominie's Hoek
+7/20: Frontier Ruckus, Rivers & Lakes @ The Creek and the Cave
+7/27: Grrropolis, The Nice Jenkins @ The Creek and the Cave
+8/3: David Martin, Dylan Brock @ The Creek and the Cave

Posted by Amol at 11:52 AM | Permalink

Rare sighting. Drawbridge up.

Posted by Amol at 07:15 PM | Permalink

Saturday. At Chocolate Factory.

Posted by Amol at 07:11 PM | Permalink

Big new 100ish unit project coming on 46th rd, just down from Junior's - Casa Vizcaya (?). And their showroom is around the corner on Vernon.

Posted by Amol at 07:07 PM | Permalink

Tishman Speyer has been slowly evicting the tenants from the ground floor of that huge parking garage on Jackson at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge. They actually have control of that site and the big lot across the street -- which used to be (and still is) a dirty site. So they'll demolish the garage (someday...we've been waiting) and clean up the lot.

And what is to come? 1 million square feet of office space on the garage site and a big mongo condo on the lot. Onward Queens Plaza!

Curbed has more

Posted by Amol at 11:51 AM | Permalink

It's big, green, sunny, and way underused. Where the pool oughta be. Apparently the pool opens June 29th...just in time for summer?

Posted by Amol at 04:20 PM | Permalink

You may not know there is a mega-FDR era pool in Astoria under the Triboro bridge. Just a 20 min bike ride from LIC proper. But it ain't open yet. Boo hoo.

Posted by Amol at 01:33 PM | Permalink