Free Enemies! Concert and Drinks

Another free show at John Varvatos (315 Bowery) on Thursday 1.5, 8-11p. This time the music will be provided by Enemies!, which is apparently an "alternative rock group from Ohio". Also, there will be free (fancy?) Jack Daniel's, and also probably vodka. RSVP to jv_PR3@VFC.com.

[via My Free Concert]

One Stop Beer Shop

Sounds like a good option for Wednesday (12.28) evening. Free Brooklyn Brewery beer, Original Sin cider Moonshine, and some snacks. 134 Kingsland Avenue, Brooklyn, 7-10p. RSVP to RSVP@1-SBS.com.

[via My Free Concert]

Street Art Animation by Blu

How have I never seen this animation by street artist Blu before? Mesmerizing: 

[via Flavorwire]

Party Down Movie

More encouraging words from Adam Scott: “We have a treatment, and if everyone’s schedules work out, we’ll shoot it over the summer.”

Getting your hopes up about the Arrested Development movie is so last month.

[via Splitsider]

Fool's Gold Holiday Party and SoCo's 100 Proof Project

1) The 100 Proof Project by Southern Comfort at the Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn) on Wednesday 1.18. Seems to be a mixologist competition, which means you can count on lots of delicious (free) cocktails. RSVP here. [via My Free Concert]

2) This Tuesday (12.20), the Fool's Gold Holiday Party is going down at The Dream Hotel (The Gallery) (355 W. 16th Street), 10p-4a. Sounds like a pretty good dance party, with a chance of free Bushmills and Modelo. RSVP to RSVP@FoolsGoldRecs.com. [via My Free Concert]

Francois Maumont Calendar

[via Drawn]

AOA Bar & Grill Opening

Another good option for Tuesday 12.13, with free vodka and menu samples. AOA Bar & Grill, 35 Avenue of the Americas, 8p-12a. RSVP on Facebook.

[via My Free Concert]

More RSVPs for 12.13.11-12.18.11

There are plenty of open events going on this week, maximize your options and RSVP:

1) I posted about this a while ago, but Hendrick's Gin is throwing "Enchanted Forest" parties in Williamsburg (102 N. 6th St.) Tuesday-Thursday. If they're not already full, RSVP here. *Recommended*

2) Another RCRD LBL Smoke & Mirrors party at the Eyebeam Technology and Art Center (540 W. 21st Street) on Thursday 12.15, 9p. Diplo and "special guests". RSVP here.

3) Brooklyn Magazine Winter Issue Release Party Thursday 12.15, 8-10p at The Green Building (452 Union Street at Bond). DJ set from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and free drinks provided by Belvedere Vodka and Sixpoint Brewery. I'd say there's a high chance of free food and an all around good time, considering their party this summer at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. RSVP here.

*Recommended*

4) The Passion Faction Thursdays at Ludlow Manor (95 Delancey) continue, 11p-4a. Free drinks at the Passion Faction table (RSVP to events@passionfaction.com), and the venue sounds crazy.

[via My Free Concert]

5) Free Local x Local concert on Sunday 12.18 at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave), this time with Delicate Steve and Milagres. Doors are at 6p, show at 8p. $5 or free with RSVP.

Fangirl Sunday

I didn't have my computer with me on Friday, so sue me. Also, I saw Lysistrata Jones for free Thursday night. And I never win lotteries!

Which also means I didn't get to watch Community and Parks & Recreation until tonight, after I had the unfortunate and synchronistic experience of watching Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D while babysitting. Joel McHale, why?

Enjoy via Splitsider:

Plus Ben Wyatt and the Douche!

Splitsider's Joshua Kurp posted earlier this week 58 reasons why he loves Community. So many good ones:

Boobs, abs, and puppies! Now there's an ad campaign appealing to the lowest common denominator. Call me, NBC.

Free concerts, after parties, and drinks

RSVP required:

1) Friday 12.9 Yelle World Tour Afterparty thrown by Nicky Digital at Loreley Williamsburg (64 Frost St., Brooklyn), 10p. Loreley is a beer garden-y type place with a good selection of German beers and sausages. RSVP here.

[via My Free Concert]

2) Monday 12.12, a day of free concerts put on by Rolling Stone at Openhouse Gallery (201 Mulberry Street). 1p Freelance Whales (freelancewhales@rollingstone.com), 2:30p Ximena Sarinana (ximena@rollingstone.com), 4p Deer Tick (deertick@rollingstone.com), 5:30p MNDR (mndr@rollingstone.com). [via My Free Concert]

3) My Free Concert is giving away tickets to the Harlem Blues Project at BB Kings (237 42nd Street), Tuesday 12.13 6p. Go here to enter. 

4) Turtle Bay's December Birthday Bash (987 2nd Avenue), Thursday 12.15, 9p-12a. Those born in December get free drinks, their friends get 1/2-priced. Email Erin@turtlebaynyc.com.

[via My Free Concert]

5) Chicagoans who somehow ended up on this blog, pay attention! Sailor Jerry is sponsoring free concerts (with lots of free rum) in Chicago on Friday 12.16 and in New York on Saturday 12.17 (Gramercy Theatre 127 E. 23rd St). The Dirtbombs with support from White Mystery, 11p. RSVP here.

[via My Free Concert]

"Why is the sea a nightmare without end?" is usually the most pressing question on my mind

alt text: originally this comic had more about the sea squirts eating their own brains, but it was just everyone screaming

[Dinosaur Comics]

This needs to be full length

Audio NSFW, dirty talk:

Context:

$2 Eats at Schnipper's Quality Kitchen

Today, 12.6, everything on the menu at the 23rd Street & Madison location of Schnipper's Quality Kitchen will be $2. Go buy yourself a burger and a milkshake, you big spender, you.
[via NYC Daily Deals]

SushiSamba and Village Pourhouse/Little Town NYC/SideBAR discounts

Well here are two deals on different ends of the intimidatingly-chic spectrum:

- Amazon is getting into the daily deal game? I'm on board. This one ends very soon, but you can pay $10 for $20 at Village Pourhouse (64 Third Avenue, 366 W. 46th St., or Amsterdam and 109th), SideBAR (118 E. 15th St.), or Little Town NYC (focuses on food and drink sourced from NY; 118A E. 15th Street). Apparently they're all owned by the same group. Pretty damn convenient.

- This month, trendy Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian restaurant SushiSamba will have a Brazilian happy hour from 4-7p M-F at both of their locations (245 Park Avenue South; 87 Seventh Avenue South). $6 bar food such as coconut scallop ceviche and short rib trouxinhas, $6 fancy cocktails (worth it), and exotic beers for $5. [via Gothamist]

Park Avenue Tavern Anniversary

One more thing for Monday 12.5, just cause it sounds so cool:

The Park Avenue Tavern (99 Park Avenue) is celebrating an anniversary (and the end of Prohibition?) by serving hors d'ouevres and 5 cent cocktails, 7-9p. RSVP here.

[via My Free Concert]

Win tickets for Lysistrata Jones

Flavorpill will be giving tickets away for Lysistrata Jones, which is moving to Broadway. The Off-Broadway production earlier this year got great reviews, so go to Facebook to enter, and take me if you win a pair.

[via My Free Concert]

Monday 12.5.11 [BLACK KEYS UPDATE]

All right kids, let's talk Monday.

1) It looks like Southern Comfort is the sponsor for that Black Keys secret show at Webster Hall. Like them on Facebook and keep a close watch. They'll be announcing how to get tickets Monday at 9:45a.

2) Monday Night Vinyl Swap & Funk Fest  [scratch that, reverse it] at the Parkside Lounge (317 E. Houston), 9p. Free Magner's cider, too. [via My Open Bar]

3) Iceland Wants to Buy You a Drink, Parts 1 and 2. Free Reyka Vodka, sweepstakes for Iceland trips, and music by Jeff Who? Part 1 is 7-9p at Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie St.), Part 2 is 10p-12a at R Bar (218 Bowery).

4) PigPen Theatre Co. debut album celebration/concert at the Barrow Street Theater, 7-9p, $10. This is less of a release party and more of a "get-people-excited-and-donate-to-our-Kickstarter" party. PigPen is a group of recent Carnegie Mellon graduates, and their The Mountain Song was very buzzed about at the NY International Fringe Festival. Subsequently, The Nightmare Story (which I can personally say was great) played at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn this past October. Low-tech, cleverly produced folk tales with lots of music, shadow puppets, and banjo-wielding. What I'm saying is, there will be cute boys playing bluegrass music, and you can feel good about supporting new talent.

[via Kickstarter]

TANE OUT.

Please can we all hang out

So what finally got me over to the Rookie mag is not a fashion piece, but a bunch of great female comedians talking about why they love each other. So much girl-crushage, mine included. Feat. Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, and others who I haven't heard of but I'm sure will be my new favorites. A bunch of videos are embedded, for those uninitiated.

Also if you've never seen it, please watch the Maria Bamford Show:

Advance RSVPs for next week

A couple of things next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday that might be of interest:

1) Telephoned's 10th Switchboard dance party at Hotel Chantelle (92 Ludlow St.). RSVP at Good-peoples.com.

2) Free jazz and potentially free food/drinks 12.7 at Burton (106 Spring St.). Brian Newman Jazz Band, 8-11p. RSVP to info@byrobertjames.com. Might want to check the Facebook event for details, since the location seems a little unclear [via My Free Concert]. 

3) Phenomenal Handclap Band will be playing a free set at the temporary Wired store in Times Square (42nd St. & Broadway) on 12.7. 7-10p, RSVP to RSVPholiday@girlie.com.

Phenomenal Handclap Band- 15 to 20

4) What will now be a weekly Thursday event (actually starts 12.1): Passion Faction at Ludlow Manor (95 Delancey), 11p-4a. Say "Passion Faction" at the door to get in free, and grab free drinks at their table. RSVP to events@passionfaction.com.

[via My Free Concert]

5) Kickstarter and Mister Saturday Night presents Girl Walk // All Day premiere, plus DJs and a light show. 12.8, Brooklyn Masonic Temple (317 Clermont Avenue), doors at 9p, screening at 10p. RSVP here. [via My Free Concert].

Black Keys secret show is now less secret

Okay kids, this is a big one. The Black Keys are playing a free album release show at Webster Hall on 12.5. Drummer Patrick Carney recently tweeted: "12/5 Release Show is @WebsterHall & streams on @MTVHive. NYC fans your tix are already paid for. How to get em coming soon"

If you want better odds, 97.7, Sirius XM, 100.1 WDST, WEQX, and WXPN are giving away tickets.

Good luck, and please take me with you.

[via My Free Concert]

Judy Gold comedy showcase

Judy Gold is hosting a comedy showcase (regrettably) titled, "Mom's Night Out", and you can enter for free tickets here. There will be three tapings, 12.6 6p-8:30p, 12.6- 8:15-10:30p, and 12.7 6-8:30p, and a complimentary cocktail hour before each. 

[via Living Free NYC]

Hendrick's Enchanted Forest

So who hasn't been a fan of the recent string of whiskey tastings (for shame)? Hendrick's Gin is hosting the "Enchanted Forest of Curiosities" from 12.13-12.15 at 102 N. 6th St., Brooklyn. Part of me thinks their schtick is a bit precious, but dammit if I don't love the John Tenniel-like illustrations. And it's pretty good gin, too. RSVP here.

Thursday 12.1.11

And what a busy Thursday it is...
(* = recommended)

1) Check out the previous post for details on the Fresh Fanatic bakery opening party* and the Xylos, Xaphoon Jones*, etc. concert/party at Tammany Hall. If it's too late to RSVP for those...

2) To celebrate the successful campaign to keep the St. Marks Bookshop in business, a party with literary types will be going down 5:30-7:30p. 

3) Hope you already signed for the Glenlivet Scotch tastings* tonight and tomorrow at the Altman Building (W. 18th St.).

4) Dum Dum Girls*, Dive, and X-Ray Eyeballs at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Avenue). $10, 8p.

Dum Dum Girls- Bedroom Eyes
Dive- Sometime

5) Mark Sultan (King Khan and the BBQ), X-Ray Eyeballs (don't ask me how they're doing Brooklyn Bowl simultaneously), Bosco Delrey*, and Colleen Green at the Cake Shop (152 Ludlow St.). $10, 8p.

Bosco Delrey- Baby's Got a Blue Flame
Bosco Delrey- My My Racecar
Colleen Green- Rabid Love

6) Gauntlet Hair with Parenthetical Girls*, Dinowalrus, and Eraas at Glasslands (289 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn). $12d, 8:30p.

Gauntlet Hair- Keep Time
Parenthetical Girls- Evelyn McHale

7) Elizabeth & the Catapult, Sonya Kitchell, and Christina Courtin at Littlefield (622 Degraw, Brooklyn). $10, 8p.

Elizabeth & the Catapult- Taller Children

Planning ahead for 12.1.11

There are a ton of great concerts on Thursday (see: Oh My Rockness), but there are two events that require RSVPs:

1) Fresh Fanatic Bakery grand opening at B3 Lounge (275 Park Avenue, Brooklyn). Free champagne and many desserts. Get free tickets and a breakdown of all the events at the Eventbrite page. 5-9p. [via My Free Concert]

2) Popshop at Tammany Hall (152 Orchard Street), 8p-4a. Performers this month include Xylos, Xaphoon Jones (Chiddy Bang), Teachers, Emil & Friends, and Ghost Beach. Absolut open bar 8-9p, RSVP to RSVP@Neongoldrecords.com.

[via My Free Concert]

Xylos- Darling Dearest

Tuesday 11.29.11

Oh, holiday gluttony:

1) No Sombrero art party will feature Mexican artists, designers, and free tequila all night. 6-10p at The Poetry Club Artspace (317 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn).

[via My Free Concert]

2) Movember Happy Hour at the Blind Barber (339 E. 10th Street), free Bushmills and a "moustache photobooth". Suggested $10 donation. RSVP here. 8-10p.

[via My Free Concert]

3) Major Arcana DJ Series at Night of Joy (667 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn). This event is ongoing; on Tuesdays through 12.13 members of MGMT, Chairlift, and Au Revoir Simone will be DJ-ing, and there will be a Reyka Vodka open bar from 10-10:30p. This week the DJ is Ben Goldwasser (MGMT). Night of Joy supposedly has a cool outdoor space, too. [via My Free Concert] 

4) Brief Thunder & Lightning solo set at the Sidewalk Cafe (6th St. and Avenue A) at 7:30, part of an album release party for another band. 

5) Little Scream, Rain Machine, and Akau at Pianos (158 Ludlow St.), $8. 8p.

Little Scream- Cannons

6) Galactic Ping Pong at SPiN (glow in the dark!) (48 East 23rd Street), 10p-2a. Unclear if play is free. 

Royal Photographic Society

Check out the photos of a recent recipient of the "Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society": 

Oh, and the recipient, Sam Kaye of Radlett, Hertfordshire, is only 12 years old. He anonymously submitted twelve photos, some taken on a family trip to South Africa, and is now the youngest member of the Royal Photographic Society.

[via Flavorwire]

Vincent Kohler's Turnaround

The Turnaround project by Vincent Kohler uses baseball bats as canvases.

[via Design Milk]

Matt Braunger Comedy Taping

"Matt was recently a series regular on MADtv, his television credits also include The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, United States of Tara, Pushing Daisies, Carpoolers, Acceptable TV, Live At Gotham and John Oliver's New York Stand up Show. In 2009, he was named to Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch and Comedy Central’s Hot 9 in ’09 list, his debut album Soak Up The Night was released by Comedy Central Records and named to the iTunes REWIND Top 20 Albums of 2009. Matt is so funny Comedy Central has ordered a half-hour pilot project from him and The Office writer-producer Brent Forrester. Don't miss his one hour special before all his good jokes go into the show. Check out some of Matt's stand-up here"

Gramercy Theater (127 E. 23rd Street), Friday 12.2. Shows at 7:15 and 9:15. Enter for free tickets here.

Alt text: LET'S COUNT UP THE NUMBER OF BRAIN CELLS ACROSS EVERY LIVING THING WORLDWIDE DEDICATED TO FACEBOOK. THEN LET'S SLICE THEM OUT, CREATE A FACEBOOK BRAIN, AND IT IGNORES WHAT IT SAYS FOREVER.

[Dinosaur Comics]

Kelsey Oseid

[A Beast Every Week]

This thing is like that thing and it scares me

[toothpastefordinner]

Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Francis Bacon 1953

Chimera

By CTRLZAK for Seletti: the Hybrid Collection juxtaposes Eastern and Western design:

Want.

[via Design Milk]

Ray Villafane's Pumpkins

I know Halloween is over, but we're still in gourd season, right? These carvings are amazing:

[via Flavorwire]

Parenthetical Girls

[via Flavorwire]

Also, "The Pornographer" (sort of NSFW--not graphic, but a remarkable homage to Andy Warhol's film Blow Job):

Turned on [to them] yet? Parenthetical Girls are playing a show at Glasslands (289 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn) on Thursday 12/1 (8:30p), along with Gauntlet Hair and Dinowalrus. $10a/$12d. Should be a really good show. Oh, and did I mention that the four part EP they released last year came in special edition vinyl signed with the frontman's blood?!

Glenlivet Scotch Tasting

Glenlivet Single Malt Whiskey is hosting a bunch of tastings in New York from 11.8-12.2. Most days have 6:30p and 9:30p events, and you can add one guest to your RSVP. I've yet to find out exactly where in the city these are, but hopefully a confirmation e-mail will arrive soon. For those not in NY, tastings are happening in Boston, Houston, Dallas, and LA in the near future.

You've got a face for radio?

Comic book artist Harvey James has begun a series of before and after drawings for podcast hosts. Here's the first:

Even though my "before" image of Marc Maron was not anything like James', I love this project. I'm an avid podcast-listener, and with the exception of Ira Glass, Mo Rocca, and Paula Poundstone, who I knew before I started listening, my ideas are generally way off. 

As for Marc Maron, I initially pictured him as Jeff Bridges-esque, but that came from WTF's black-and-white iTunes art, so I don't think it truly counts as a "before seen".

I also recently watched all of Explosion Bus (DO IT), and subsequently realized that people who lend their voices to animation have even less chance of being pictured as they are IRL.

[via Splitsider]

Wisdom of the Ancients

Alt text: All long help threads should have a sticky globally-editable post at the top saying 'DEAR PEOPLE FROM THE FUTURE: Here's what we've figured out so far...'

[via xkcd]

Full Hunger Games Trailer

Finally:

I know a lot of people are complaining about the white-washing Katniss (and Gale), but right now my biggest issue is how clean and pretty Jennifer Lawrence looks while still in District 12. I know it's hard to hide how f-ing gorgeous Lawrence is, but she's already hairless, etc. in the forest and Reaping shots that I fear her transformation in the Capital is going to be less impressive (even though it is mostly about the outfits). Well, I'm excited nonetheless--I had goosebumps from the moment Prim's name is called. Also, I'm hoping for music as haunting and inseparable from the movie as the Harry Potter theme, and the whistle at the end bodes well.

[via io9]

Typewriter Ribbon Tins

All images Janine Vangool [via Flavorwire]