Last Friday was a totally packed and totally awesome jangle-flute-pop show. Like 20 new people signed up for this mailing list, even. Last Saturday, not so packed, but such good songs, and such good Peter-Nevins-vs-Bushwick-muggers-chase-scene-tales as well. Spread your love a bit. Weekends are long. Kinda. Okay, or not.

Friday, K Records' Karl Blau returns again with a few friends in-tow-- he won't be living in Queens forever (I don't think) so see him while you can! The Creek and the Cave's informative website tells me it is also bartender Vin/Vince/Vinny/Vinsanity's birthday. Buy him a drink.
Er, he probably gets those anyway. Give him a big tip, then.

Saturday, talent-attractor and very fine soundman-in-a-pinch Andy Guthrie hosts a jazz night on the LICene. As an added bonus, it is also apparently Australia Day at the Creek and the Cave, which hopefully entails black-and-tans comprised of Foster's and vegemite.
As a hybrid, it'd be sweet if someone covered "Waltzing Matilda" or Men at Work on the sax. Or, stumble down the street for some free bluegrass at Dominie's Hoek. I also hear there's a sweet themed party at a semi-known communal loftspace on the northern edge of the nabe to our east. Just sayin'.op You've got tions, Queens. Oh yeah, the Silent Barn in Ridgewood is probably up to something as well. Also, anyone ever go to this bar in Astoria called Sparrow? I hear it's pretty decent. We're getting there. And not priced-out, or pet spas (yet).

See you out,
BZ

***Friday, January 25***
KARL BLAU (Queens, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/karlblau
"When he's at his best, Blau resembles a prophet scarfing honey in the desert, a John McPhee speaking in tongues, chanting in a whisper from Lord Byron's Vision of Judgment about out-of-tune angels." -PITCHFORK MEDIA

STEBMO (Seattle, WA)
http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
"Grooves, jazz, and outer explorations: It's all on the table . . . a fine fancy feast." -SEATTLE WEEKLY

PURE HORSEHAIR (Brooklyn, NY)
http://myspace.com/purehorsehairmusic
"Both songwriter and voice carry sincerity and a sense of urgency that is missing from most of what I hear today." -4F

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

THE CREEK AND THE CAVE
http://www.thecreekandthecave.com
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from both Manhattan & Brooklyn!
7 to Vernon-Jackson
G to 21 St
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

================================================

***Saturday, January 26***

BRIAN SEEGER (Manhattan, NY)
http://myspace.com/brianseeger

PETER NEVINS (Queens, NY)
http://myspace.com/andyguthriemusic

SEAN NOWELL (Manhattan, NY)
http://myspace.com/seannowwell

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

THE CREEK AND THE CAVE
http://www.thecreekandthecave.com
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from both Manhattan & Brooklyn!
7 to Vernon-Jackson
G to 21 St
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

================================================

***Saturday, January 26***

VINCENT CROSS (Manhattan, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/vincentcrossx

GOOD COMPANY (not Bad Company)
Can't find a website, but they probably have a song and album of the same name.

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

DOMINIE'S HOEK
http://www.myspace.com/dominieshoek
48-17 Vernon Boulevard
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from both Manhattan & Brooklyn!
7 to Vernon-Jackson
G to 21 St
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

================================================

OTHER UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE NABE (seriously, this list will look full again next week, oy)
+02/01: The Majorleans, The Bright Lights, The Lavenders @ The Creek
and the Cave
+02/02: Born at Sea @ Dominie's Hoek
+02/08: Dave Unger @ The Creek and the Cave
+02/15: Matt Jones @ The Creek and the Cave
+04/04: Real Live Tigers, Lightning Paw @ The Creek and the Cave

http://www.LICpop.com

Posted by Amol at 12:05 PM | Permalink

Posted by Amol at 09:30 AM | Permalink

Well regarded painter Elizabeth Murray has a huge lovely mural in the Court Square subway. She died last year, so go pay homage.

Posted by Amol at 09:27 AM | Permalink

Great new LIC blog. Rather Court Square-centric it appears. Shows that the move-ins at Arris, Purves, and Fusion are starting to balance the power in the neighborhood which used to be very waterfront-oriented (and if you read their discussion boards -- apparently very whine-centric!!)

Posted by Amol at 08:31 AM | Permalink

Big views are a big part of LIC, and so are the great outdoors. Lots of the projects have focused on making good use of their roofs to provide terrace space. Interestingly, there were a few near the waterfront like 5SL or Gantry that seemed to pitch cabanas and so forth.

The Hunters View Condos on Jackson Ave have rooftop cabanas too -- except much higher up. Check out these pics they sent to LICNYC.

Posted by Amol at 07:40 PM | Permalink

There is a new art gallery across the street from PS1 -- it used to be housed inside the ceramics place on 21st. But now they have their own space. The first show - We are LIC - it's kind of a weird name since none of the paintings are about LIC, though perhaps the people ARE (that is, ARE LIC as opposed to ARE FROM LIC).

More about the show here. It just opened this past weekend so you gotta check it out while it's hot.

Posted by Amol at 06:18 PM | Permalink

Up and coming playwrights and performers are putting on a series of one act plays in LIC at the "Secret Theater" on 23rd street. Click here to check it out or even...buy tickets!

Here's their line-up:

Act Three : One Acts
Jan 16th - Feb. 2nd

* The 2008 Long Island City One Act Play Festival. Featuring 12 One Acts in 2 sets:

* Set 1:
* 'Bonfrieg' by J. Snodgrass Director: Don Nguyen
* 'Hi-Yo!' by Steve Wisniewski Director: Chris Jobin
* 'A Reason For All Things' by Judd Silverman Director: Dave Fink
* 'The Open Window' by Scott Sickles Director: Allison Smith
* 'Past Participle' by V.E. Kimberlin Director: Michelle Pace
* 'Broken Chains' by V.E. Kimberlin Director: Chris Jobin

* Set 2:
* 'Jon Katsberg' by Isaac Rathbone Director: Marc Weitz
* 'The Famous Elephant Play' by Jack Karp Director: Katie Braden
* 'Black Box' by Chuck Spoler Director: Rich Ferraioli
* 'This One Time I Was...' by EJC Calvert Director: Nathan Willis
* 'Multiple Choice' by Jack Karp Director: Marc Weitz
* 'Apropos A Night of Falling Sleet' by Scott Gerschwer Director: Rich Ferraioli

Posted by Amol at 06:05 PM | Permalink

Pop show 2nite, Acousticy show 2morrow:

***Friday, January 18***
SUREFIRE BROADCAST (Hammonton, NJ)
http://www.myspace.com/surefirebroadcast
"Mostly noisy indiepop, in the vein of, well, all of my favorite bands." -SKATTERBRAIN

THE BRIDESMAIDS (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/herecomethebridesmaids
"For fans who want their well-worn favorites filtered through an unconventional modern lens, the Bridesmaids deliver both." -VENUS ZINE

SCARY MONSTER (Philadelphia, PA)
http://myspace.com/scarymonsterphilly
Jangly indiepop band featuring ex-members of Missing Piece, The Low Tones, Snow Fairies, The Parcels and That's Ms. Werewolf to You.

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

THE CREEK AND THE CAVE
http://www.thecreekandthecave.com
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from both Manhattan & Brooklyn!
7 to Vernon-Jackson
G to 21 St
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

================================================

***Saturday, January 19***

THE BOY BATHING (Manhattan, NY)
http://myspace.com/theboybathing
"Think precious acoustic-sounding indie lullabies ("Cuddlecore," they say on their myspace, which sounds ominous but is kinda misleading), but so wordy that the lyrics start to avalanche in a way that's kind of sweet and romantic." -THE L MAGAZINE

PETER NEVINS (Manhattan, NY)
http://myspace.com/peternevins
My own guess is that if you taught a very impressionable 17th. century troubadour all about Syd Barrett, Donovan, Stephin Merritt, and the Lower East Side as it is today, he would most likely end up sounding something like this inimitable man.

DIBS (Brooklyn, NY)
http://myspace.com/dibson
"Jonathan Richman meets Beat Happening. Daniel Johnston punches Stephin Merritt. Anyway you compare him, Dibs is his own weirdo. "

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

THE CREEK AND THE CAVE
http://www.thecreekandthecave.com
10-93 Jackson Ave.
Hunters Point, Long Island City, Queens, NYC
1 stop from both Manhattan & Brooklyn!
7 to Vernon-Jackson
G to 21 St
E-V to 23 St-Ely Av
B-61, Q-67, and Q-103 Bus

================================================

OTHER UPCOMING SHOWS IN THE NABE
+01/25: Karl Blau, Pure Horsehair, Stebmo @ The Creek and the Cave
+02/01: The Majorleans, The Lavenders @ The Creek and the Cave
+02/02: Born at Sea @ Dominie's Hoek
+02/08: Dave Unger @ The Creek and the Cave
+02/15: Matt Jones @ The Creek and the Cave
+04/04: Real Live Tigers, Lightning Paw @ The Creek and the Cave

http://www.LICpop.com

Posted by Amol at 10:39 AM | Permalink

The sometimes curious cultural locations around LIC -- two of them on Jackson, one is the Slovakian gift shop and the others is the Irish Center -- are probably features of the convenience plus low cost of retail space we find in the neighborhood.

LICNYC finally had a chance to check out the Irish Center -- a nice place! Friendly! Lots of things for Irish and non-Irish folks to participate in. Particularly, they host lots of baby playgroups. Apparently Mondays 2-5 and Thursdays 10-1. Some of the Irish Center events.

PS the other type of riffraff attracted by convenience, industrial chic, and low cost space are the artists: there are two artists that have apparently taken up residence in former storefronts (the flower shop and the former "DJ shop" on Jackson near 11th street). Here is one of those artists (Sam Still)

Posted by Amol at 07:32 PM | Permalink

The LIC mommies group -- Little in the City ("LIC", get it?) is now nearly 50 members. That compares pretty well to the 175 member Upper West Side moms support group. Verdict? We increasingly in a hybrid industrial/artist-new family terrain.

Watch out for those speeding Bugaboos!

PS, to join go to Little in the City meetup

Posted by Amol at 07:26 PM | Permalink

As holiday season reruns ran, LICNYC was reminded of the great Queens films of past eras. We all know the iconic rowhouse shots of the Archie Bunker opening or the recent Entourage "I am Queens Boulevard!!" from TV. But film has a long tradition of showing and adoring Queens.

Adam Sandler's "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" was VERY Astoria, but let's not spend time there.

Instead, the great and possibly greatest gangster film: Goodfellas.

Locations all over Queens and near LIC, including:

For example, here is where the young hero lived (not in Brooklyn!)

And anybody can find Morrie's:

More

The amazing tiki bar where they have the "you think I'm funny? tell me how I'm funny" scene is gone now, but you can always try King Yum in Jamaica -- which is even better. Must see. Details

Iconic Queens lives!

Posted by Amol at 11:01 AM | Permalink