All in the 'Family'

By Meredith Deliso

Magical may not be the first word that pops to mind when thinking of Bushwick, but coming up in the neighborhood nearly 10 years ago, it was for Akron/Family.

“We were just doing music all the time,” said Miles Seaton, bass player of the experimental indie-rock band. “There was a feeling of infinite potentiality.”

Since then, the band’s made good on that feeling, releasing four albums since its 2005 self-titled debut. Each has consistently pushed and experimented with the band’s own sound and voice, though none as self-consciously as its fifth album, “S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT,” which finds the trio looking back almost nostalgically on its beginnings (the album title is even a reference to the band’s self-titled debut).

“Sometimes I forget how much Brooklyn really has to do with who we are as a group, and who I am as a musician. We were literally trying to revisit that in a very clear way,” said Seaton, who even penned the song “Fuji II (Single Pane)” to tell the story of that time.

In the past year, most of the core trio has defected to Portland, Oregon — Seaton still represents with a studio in Bushwick — so when the band plays the Knitting Factory on Thursday, it’ll be like a big homecoming.

“We’re going to treat it like the big hometown show,” said Seaton. “There’s going to be a lot of energy being pushed around. We’re very excited.”

Akron/Family at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. near Havemayer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Feb. 17 at 8:30 pm. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.bk.knittingfactory.com.

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Feeling lucky?

By Meredith Deliso

This lottery has nothing to do with scratch-offs.

Since 1996, the Rock Lottery has been an annual pastime in Denton, Texas, where 25 musicians are randomly placed into five bands and given 12 hours to come up with original music to play before a waiting, eager audience.

Given the wealth and diversity of talent in Brooklyn, it’s almost shameful that the idea hasn’t been tested here since (even Seattle has one by now). But that changes on Dec. 18, when the Knitting Factory hosts the inaugural Rock Lottery in Brooklyn.

Music publicist Tierney Scout experienced the Rock Lottery in Denton during her four years of college there and figured it was high time Brooklyn had its own.

 “I thought Brooklyn would be a perfect place. It’s probably as diverse as you’re going to get. The spirit of the Rock Lottery has always been to run the gamut regarding genre,” said Scout. “At the same time, the community is pretty incestuous here.”

Indeed, Scout found it particularly challenging to find 25 musicians who had never played with each other before. But she was able to come up with a diverse (albeit indie-heavy) list that includes Bradford Reed of King Missile III, who plays his own invented instrument, the pencilina; Juile Potash of Northern State; Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav (band pictured above); Jon Philpot of Bear In Heaven; and Stephen Patterson of White Rabbits.

It’s a gamble if the resulting bands will work well together, but whether it’s terrible, silly or awesome, it doesn’t matter, said Rock Lottery founder Chris Weber.

“The audience is always supportive and screaming for the first band, no matter what,” said Weber. “They’re yelling as if it’s their favorite band, even if they don’t know who any of the people are on stage. It’s just the sense of people working very hard for our delight and amusement. I’m curious to see how it works in Brooklyn.”

Rock Lottery at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Dec. 18 at 10 pm. Tickets $10, with all proceeds going to World Savvy. For info, visit www.bk.knittingfactory.com.

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No gelt, no glory

By Michelle Manetti

The biggest sporting event of the season is back. And no, it’s not hockey.

For the fourth year, Eric Harris Pavony (left) is putting a spin on a holiday classic with his Spin the Dreidel Tournament.  

On Dec. 9, the last night of Hanukkah, 124 competitors will battle at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg for gelt and glory. And this year, the heat is on dreidel experts — yes, we’re talking Jews — to reclaim the title from last year’s winner, a gentile.

“I know the Jews are going to be back to reclaim the New York City title,” said Pavony, who runs Major League Dreidel.

Pavony’s contests are not typical dreidel play, where contestants try to guess the Hebrew letter on which the four-sided Hanukkah top will fall. Instead, six contestants at a time compete to see whose dreidel spins the longest.

Almost as important as your twirl technique is your fighting name, and past greats have included Spindiana Jones, The Gentile Giant and Spinglorious Bastard.

Even if you’re not into the game, you can still come out for the party and enjoy tunes by the likes of the Young New Yorkers’ Chorus and Category Sixx — the self-proclaimed world’s greatest air band.

“Whether you’re a devout Jew, or Jewish and don’t really participate, or never heard of a dreidel, it’s really a great holiday party,” said Pavony.

Spin the Dreidel tournament at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Dec. 9 at 7 pm. Tickets $10-$15. For info, visit www.majorleaguedreidel.com.

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'Knitting' together a theater community

Joseph Hendel (center) has founded the Williamsburg Theatre Company with Harry May-Kline (left)  and Andrew Mcnay.

By Meredith Deliso

Williamsburg may be one of the foremost neighborhoods for culture in Brooklyn, but that doesn’t mean it can’t do without a little more theater.

That’s what Joseph Hendel thinks, as least. As the founder of the Williamsburg Theatre Company, he launches the brand new troupe this month with a production of David Ives’s “All in the Timing.” But he’s not doing it at your traditional theater. Instead, he’s turned to the music venue Knitting Factory, which, thanks to a run of one-acts this month, is quickly becoming a destination for theater.

For now, the fun on the boards will take place on Monday nights with “Can I Really Date A Guy Who Wears A Yarmulke?” at 7:30 pm followed by “All in the Timing,” a collection of popular one-act comedies by the absurdist writer, at 10 pm.

“That’s my theater night,” said Ellen Jacobs, who books special events at the Knitting Factory. “If it’s empty on Monday nights, I want to get some really creative stuff going on here.”

It doesn’t stop in November, either. Early next year, Jacobs is producing an original musical by Alex Davis about his transgendered experience, and she looks to work with a new musical by Lloyd Miller of the Deedle Deedle Dees.

For non-musical productions like Hendel’s, the club setting can still work to his advantage. When he directs “All in the Timing,” he’ll use the whole space, including the stage, the floor and the bar, to rework the acts in the unconventional setting.

“The whole idea of the production is that we’re doing it at a club,” said Hendel. “We’re not changing the six pieces, but how you present them is another part of the theater experience.”

Theater at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemayer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Mondays in November. For info, visit bk.knittingfactory.com.

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Modern love

Eleanor (played by Catherine LeFrere) is
thinking one thought: “Can I Really
Date a Guy Who Wears a Yarmulke?” —
which, conveniently enough, is the name of
the play in which she considers doing just that with Aaron (Jason Liebman).Photo by S.A. Schwartz

By Meredith Deliso

Amy Holson-Schwartz knew she had a great title on her hands when she had a sold-out run at the Midtown International Theater Festival this past summer with very little advertising.

“Can I Really Date A Guy Who Wears A Yarmulke?” tells the story of a young, single New York Jew who meets the love of her life. The bad part? He’s, like, really Jewish.

Holson-Schwartz, a non-practicing Jew, was inspired to write the play after a Birthright trip to Israel dredged up all sorts of feelings abou the Holy Land, Judaism and love.

“It brought up questions for me about what it means to be young, American and Jewish in modern society — all that existential stuff,” said Holson-Schwartz.

What really did it for her, though, and inspired the trajectory of the piece, was seeing a cute man on the subway and immediately getting turned off by his yarmulke.

The result is the comic love story of Eleanor, a young, single, non-practicing Jew who is set up by her friends with the more Orthodox Aaron. Their differences lead to all sorts of disagreements — over Israel, over the Holocaust, over the roles of women in Jewish society.

Ellen Jacobs, who books special events at the Knitting Factory, saw the play and decided to bring it to the Williamsburg space, where it will run Monday nights in November. 

“It seemed like a lot of young, single people going to the show,” said Jacobs. “I thought it would be really special to do it in another space and, who knows, maybe someone will meet someone and get married.”

The provocative title, and hey, maybe even the promise of a date, may get butts in seats, but what’s sure to keep them there is the universal truths about relationships the play explores.

“People respond to the story. I’ve had a lot of mixed couples, where say, the girl was Jewish and the guy was Christian, who would say, ‘That’s our story,’ ” said Holson-Schwartz. “It’s like real life, only funnier.”

“Can I Really Date A Guy Who Wears A Yarmulke?” at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemayer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Mondays in November at 7:30 pm. Tickets $18. For info, visit bk.knittingfactory.com.

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He is back!

By Roxanna Asgarian

This month, “The Terminator” will be up against a terrifying new kind of opponent, the likes of which Ahhnold has never seen: the Raspberry Brothers.

The Knitting Factory’s resident funnymen, who also contribute to “Saturday Night Live” and The Onion, will be lampooning the action classic as it screens during their weekly “Comedy over Movies” show in the venue’s front bar.

“ ‘The Terminator’ franchise has survived a quarter-century, enduring lame sequels, bad reviews, and a TV series,” said Jerm Pollet, lead Raspberry Brother. “Our only salvation is to go back in time to when killer robots from the future looked like the governor of California.”

The weekly shows, whose previous targets have included the Britney Spears flick, “Crossroads,” and “Conan, the Barbarian,” have turned into theme parties, where people dress up and play games for free drinks. The Knitting Factory’s bartender, Johnny, makes a new drink each week to go along with the theme.

Best of all, the show is free, and the Brothers will definitely show you a side of “Terminator” that you’ve never seen.

Raspberry Brothers screen “The Terminator” at Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemayer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Aug. 31 at 8 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bk.knittingfactory.com.

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Catch this mad cow!

By Alex Rush

Mucca Pazza suffers from an identity crisis.

The coalition of 30 adult rock musicians act as if they’re still in a high school marching band: they sport letter jackets, shake pom-pons and wield brass instruments to blast out punk-style tunes.

“You won’t know what to expect from our music and shows, ever,” said guitarist and composer Jeff Thomas.

But instead of bringing its novelty act to a borough football field, Mucca Pazza will perform at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg on Friday night.

So how will the wannabe marching band members utilize a stage, rather than a 100-yard long field? By darting around in random clumps, forgoing any traditional formations. Members even strap speakers to their traditional marching band hats and charge into the crowd in the fashion of an out-of-control parade.

“We go into the crowd to blur the lines between the stage and the audience,” Thomas said. “We like messing with the audience like that.”

The band, whose Italian name translates to “mad cow,” was formed by bandleader and composer Mark Messing in 2004. Originally made up of only brass instruments and drums, Mucca Pazza has since added guitars and other strings into the mix. The band tours nationally and plays dozens of songs that blend rock, punk, reggaeton, metal and yes, a march. In the past four year it’s released an EP — “A Little Marching Band” — and a full-length album — “Plays Well Together.”

Football season may not start until fall, but at least marching bands can rock out year-round.

Mucca Pazza at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemayer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], August 6, 9 pm. Tickets are $15. For info, visit bk.knittingfactory.com.

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Transmen get a room of their own

A transgender beauty pageant is about to make “his-tory.”

On April 25, Brooklyn will crown the first-ever “Mr. Transman,” with a pageant at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg.

Though drag contests, gay pageants and transwoman competitions have been happening for years, transmen have been without a pageant of their own.

“I tell the kids, ‘When I was your age, we had butch and femme and that was it.’ Now, the queer scene is much more diverse than it has ever been,” said Murray Hill (pictured), a nightlife personality who has hosted the city’s Miss Lez Pageant for the past nine years and will be doing the same at Mr. Transman 2010. “The Transman competition is truly a direct response to there being almost no visibility of this group in our society.”

At the pageant, six contestants will compete in Platform, Swimsuit, Realness, Talent and Evening Wear. The winner will receive a cash prize and a photo spread in the seminal transman magazine, “Original Plumbing.”

Though all the gender-bending may be overwhelming, Hill encourages people from all walks of life to attend this “helluva blow-out, sexy, dance party and show.”

“Everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time,” said Hill. “That’s what people are going to learn.”

Mr. Transman pageant at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer Avenue in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], April 25 at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $12.

— Elizabeth Dana

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A taste of SXSW, in Brooklyn

By Meredith Deliso

South by Southwest, the annual marathon indie music festival, has hundreds of bands, and even more music fans, flocking to Austin next week.

For those without passes, you can still get a taste of the sounds of the festival thanks to a Brooklyn Vegan SXSW pre-party on March 15 at the Knitting Factory. The night features bands en route to Austin, with a European bent.

“Despite what music blogs lead you to believe (and the mass of people that will be there), not everybody goes to Austin in March,” said the blog in a post announcing the local showcase, which is en route to SXSW itself, with several showcases planned during the festival.

Since the music doesn’t start until March 17 at SXSW, both festival goers and those who will be getting their SXSW recaps from said music blogs can enjoy the pre-party. First on the night, it’s Banjo or Freakout, the home-recording project of UK singer/songwriter Alessio Natalizia who’s formed a band so he can bring his dream-pop sounds live (sorry, pickers, it’s not really about banjos).

Another UK band takes to the stage next, The Wave Pictures, who have been rocking it for over a decade. If you like the Mountain Goats, they will be right up your alley, as they’ve collaborated with live and on record with the indie band.

On the eve of the release of their debut album on Merge for American release, Let’s Wrestle, the third UK band on the bill, heads to SXSW this year, but not before stopping off in Brooklyn first. The band is not new year, having played a slew of CMJ shows this past fall, where they earned fans for their energetic live shows.

Now that you’ve warmed up, get ready for Casiokids (pictured). Known as the “Hot Chip” of Norway, the kids are another exuberant act, blending “old analogue, trashy keyboards and pop melodies.” No album in the works yet, it seems, though they’ve kept listeners happy by releasing singles on Moshi Moshi Records. Unless you’re fluent in Norwegian, you’ll have to rely less on their lyrics and more on their beats. Dance music breaks all language barriers, anyway.

The last band on the bill, WhoMadeWho, comes via Denmark. The disco punk rockers sound like a synthier Queens of the Stone Age, and it’s no surprise that that band’s Josh Homme has covered WhoMadeWho live in his side-project, the Fififf Teeners. You’ll know the band’s hit the stage when two guys come out in skeleton suits. For real.

The night will cap things off with a DJ set from Bill Pearis.

So while this will only offer a .01 percent of the bonanza that is SXSW, you can get in on the fun here in Brooklyn. And hey, there’s always next year.

Things kick off at 8 pm, with tickets $8. Knitting Factory is located at 361 Metropolitan Avenue. For more information, call 347-529-6696.

You can also get a taste of the Australian sounds at the festival thanks to the Aussie BBQ, a satellite showcase of bands from down under that are making their way to SXSW.

That comes to the Bell House on March 25, and will feature Beaches, Children Collide, City Riots, Crayon Fields, Goons of Doom, Love of Diagrams, Oh Mercy, Paul Dempsey, Sherlock’s Daughter, and The Chevelles.

The show starts at 6 pm, with tickets $15. The Bell House is located at 149 7th St.

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Dive in to this Underwater Ball

New York native and Brooklyn newcomer Scott Hardkiss has been starting parties the world over as a DJ over the last two decades.

On February 20, the Fort Greene resident lays it down at home for a special engagement at Knitting Factory in Williamsburg.

The late-night event – called “The Underwater Ball,” borrowed from the title of a track of his debut album, 2009’s “Technicolor Dreamer” – is made even more special, as it marks the reunion of Hardkiss and Robbie behind the tables. Back in the early 1990s, the two, along with Gavin, comprised the producing team Hardkiss, playing the underground San Francisco club scene.

Still going strong, these days, Scott Hardkiss, who has made several remixes for everyone from Elton John to the Flaming Lip, and has scored films for the likes of Wes Anderson and Spike Jones, is further reinventing himself with his Technicolor Dreamer Band, blending electronic dance grooves with live vocal and instrumental hooks.

The ball will include a live set from Hardkiss’s band, with help from friends Britta Philips (of the bands Dean & Britta and Luna), Lisa Shaw (Naked Music), Stevvi Alexander, Bobby Harden, J Bowman, A Guy Called Guy, and the drummer Guy Licata (Santigold, Hercules & Love Affair).

Kicking things off will be sets by DJ Phunkae & The Prophetz. And in keeping with the theme of the night, Brooklyn artists Glenn Friedel and Chris Herbeck will be behind the visuals, props and set design.

Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. It all kicks off at 11 p.m. at Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.). For more information call 347-529-6696.

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Slideshow Players: family art

By Meredith Deliso

The family that plays together stays together.

That, at least, seems to be the case with the Trachtenburgs.

Even as they juggle more and more creative projects, the trio keeps at their shtick, the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, as they’ve been doing for the past 10 years ago.

Between dad Jason’s own swing band, The Pendulum Swings, daughter Rachel’s girl band, Supercute!, and mom Tina’s steering of their children’s program, “Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World,” the three still find time to do slideshow shows. And on January 21, they do just that at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, with mom on the projector, dad on the keys and vocals, and their daughter on the drums as the family performs conceptual art-rock pop with a message.

“We’re informational artists,” says Jason. “We feel it’s our duty and responsibility to give information as we see it.”

That includes extolling the health benefits of vegetarianism (Jason and Tina are going strong 20 years, 16-year-old Rachel has been one most her life), individuality (“We can’t just turn into a culture of conformity,” says Jason), and politics (Rachel made the news last year as vocal opponent against third terms for city politicians).

The family makes a similar statement as they move into children’s programming. Next month, the second episode of “Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World” will be shown in Brooklyn February 14, details TBA (the first episode is available here).

“We really want to influence and expand television entertainment,” says Jason. “I think we can raise expectations with what we’re doing with the show. It has real purpose, real ideas about art and life.”

The show, says Tina, is like “’H.R. Pufnstuf’ meets the ‘Partridge Family.’ But it’s real as opposed to a fantasy.”

It presents a day in the life of Rachel in their Bushwick apartment, with original music by Rachel and Jason and guest appearances from friends like Andrew W.K, Murray Hill and Kevin Allison. Then there’s Supercute!, Rachel’s trio which she fronts with a ukulele, (they are also on the Knitting Factory bill), and dad’s band, The Pendulum Swings, which gives him an outlet for music that doesn’t quite jive with the Slideshow Players’ aesthetic.

“The Slideshow goes in so many different directions, I will never grow tired of it. (But) ultimately, Rachel’s getting older and focusing on her band. It was essential that I started up a new project,” says Jason, whose new project is an indie swing band. Though no retro throwback here – “We’re trying to live in the culture of the time,” says Jason. And, unlike the Slideshow Players, “the emphasis is music, not so much politics or entertainment or art.”

While the Pendulums don’t make the Knitting Factory bill, don’t rule it out in the future.

“Lately we’ve been doing shows together, all of us,” says Jason. “Slideshow, Supercute and Pendulum Swings.”

Yep, they’re keeping it all in the family.

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are at Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.) January 21 at 7 p.m. With Supercute! and Julia Weldon. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 347-529-6696.

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Culture club: the best bests for 2010

By Meredith Deliso

That was fast.

Another year has gone by in Brooklyn. These past 12 months may have found you dining at Buttermilk Channel, bowling at Brooklyn Bowl, or rocking out at the Knitting Factory, three acclaimed borough establishments that all came to be — or be reborn — in 2009. Or maybe you caught Cate Blanchett in her praised role of Blanche Dubois at BAM, took in the captivating “New Electric Ballroom” at St. Ann’s Warehouse, or had rock star insight at the Brooklyn Museum’s “Who Shot Rock and Roll” exhibition.

With 2010 right around the corner, we take a look at what’s in store for Brooklyn’s cultural landscape, from anticipated exhibits to concerts you should buy tickets for today (and don’t worry if you haven’t made it to the Brooklyn Museum exhibition yet; it runs until the end of January).

Brooklyn Sounds

There are shows on a daily basis in Brooklyn worth mentioning, but these caught our eyes, or, rather, ears. On January 29, Brooklyn Bowl has something for all you metal/tribute/Michael Jackson/Judas Priest/Cheap Trick enthusiasts. Promoter Rocks Off presents their Tribute Wars XXXII, with Dangerous, an all-metal tribute to Michael Jackson featuring members of 2 Skinnee J’s and Tragedy: All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees, as well as all-female tributes to Judas Priest.At 9 p.m. Tickets $5. Located at 61 Wythe Ave. For more information, call 718-963-3369.

That same night, fans of experimental indie rock might want to head over to the Music Hall of Williamsburg for a set from Here We Go Magic. These guys have just been growing since formed by Luke Temple two years ago. With a sophomore album coming out in the New Year, expect even bigger things. At 9 p.m. Tickets $12 in advance, $14 day of show. With Midnight Masses and Glass Ghost. Music Hall is located at 66 North 6th Street.

Top local acts are lined up for BAM’s “Sounds Like Brooklyn,” an annual music festival that has its ear to the borough’s diverse sounds. This year’s, which runs from January 29-30 and February 4-6, features Les Savy Fav with Vivian Girls, Rain Machine with Anti-Pop Constortium, and Ra Ra Riot with The Antlers, at BAM, with additional Brooklyn venues participating as well.Tickets range from $15 to $25. BAM is located at 30 Lafayette Ave. For more information, call 718-636-4100.

Live on Stage

Stew made waves with his Tony award-winning “Passing Strange” in ’08. In ’10, he brings a multi-media rock show to Brooklyn with “Making It” at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO. Are you making it? What are you making? When do you know you’ve made it? Watch as Stew and Heidi Rodewald explore these questions in their show, which traces the unlikely careers of Stew and Heidi from the dive rock clubs of Hollywood to the footlights of Broadway. We’ll say they’ve made it.

The show runs from February 17-21. Tickets $42 to $82. St. Ann’s is located at 38 Water St.

Bushwick band Pass Kontrol have been at work on their original rock opera “New Hope City,” doing workshops here and there. In February, they have the Bushwick Starr all to themselves as they present the work, from February 11 to 27. Should be out there. The Bushwick Starr is located at 207 Starr St. Tickets $10.

For a more traditional opera experience, BAM hosts its first ever opera festival this coming March. Curated by conductor William Christie, of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants, he brings a bit of the Baroque to Brooklyn, with two operas from Purcell – “Dido and Aeneas” and “The Fairy Queen,” and the French opera “Actéon,” plus a recital with Christie, Baroque cabaret and more. The festival runs from March 18-31. Ticket prices vary.

Ancient Art

For its next exhibit, the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Heights draws more than 100 objects from its holdings of ancient Egyptian art (which numbers over 1,200) that illustrate the range of strategies the ancient Egyptians developed to cheat death. Fittingly, the exhibition is titled “To Live Forever: Art and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt,” and explores mummification and tomb rituals. Creepy or fascinating? You decide.

The exhibition runs from February 12-May 2 in the Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor. The museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway. Suggested contribution is $10. For more information, go to http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/ or call 718-638-5000.

Big Fish

Katie Jarvis has been earning rave reviews for her performance in “Fish Tank” – which tells the story of a rebellious 15-year-old who becomes involved with her mother’s boyfriend – especially given her rookie status. The film itself, from Andrea Arnold, has won praise as well, taking the jury prize at Cannes. See it here, followed by a Q&A with the director, January 7 at 7 p.m. at BAM. Tickets $12.

Second Editions

New restaurants and shops pop up all the time in Brooklyn, those these following offerings give a second life to previously existing borough favorites.

Williamsburg’s Pies-n-Thighs shuttered to the dismay of barbecue lovers everywhere when they were kicked out of their space in 2008. The much-anticipated and long-delayed reopening a few blocks from the original is anticipated for early 2010. Happy New Year, indeed. Located at 166 South 4th St.

Lucali put Carroll Gardens on the pizza map when it opened in 2006. The year 2010 brings another pizza destination to Brooklyn – Giusepinna’s, or, as its been nicknamed, Lucali II, since it’s run by Chris Iacono, brother to Mark of Lucali, and initial speculation was that it would share the same name. Located in Greenwood Heights at 6th Avenue and 20th Street, the hope is that the new pizzeria will ease the wait at Lucali I once it opens, anticipated for late ’09, early ’10.

The Coney Island Boardwalk lost some flavor in early ’09 when Lola Staar was forced to close. Good news comes in the New Year, as the boutique and gift shop is set to reopen under the city’s new deal to buy land from developer Joe Sitt. As of press time, the new lease was in the works, but owner Dianna Carlin was hoping for a New Year’s Day party to celebrate the reopening and ring in 2010 with the Polar Bears as they make their annual New Year’s dip in the ocean.

For the past several months, Sixpoint Craft Ales in Red Hook (much in the news this year) has been under renovation to add space to make more beer, mainly meaning, no visitors allowed. That changes in the New Year, when the microbrewery, which has won fans for their rich stock of six brews, including their signature, Sweet Action, reopens to visitors. Since the brewery doesn’t bottle its beer, but rather sells it from kegs and at places like Biefkraft in Park Slope, that’s the best place to have it. How sweet it is. Located at 40 Van Dyke St.

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Busy season for Antibalas

Tonight, after an exhilerating but still somewhat grueling performance at the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Fela!, where Antibalas has been supplying the beats for the past few weeks and acting as house band (as audience members enter the theater, they're jamming on stage), the band will hop in a cab to Williamsburg, where they will play into the wee hours of the morning as part of their December residency at the Knitting Factory.

Then, it's back to Fela! the next night to do the show all over again.

Not that they're complaining. For any band playing in New York, two steady gigs ain't bad. Especially when it's playing music that you love - afrobeat.

Read more about Antibalas in our paper, and check out a live performance at the Knitting Factory earlier this month below.

Want more afrobeat? Knitting Factory hosts Fu-Meets-Broadway, a night of music from Amayo (of Antibalas) that blends traditional Chinese Lion rhythms and Nigerian Afro-beat, which will feature members of the band and cast members of Fela!. Coming up, there's also Akoya Afrobeat at Southpaw on January 8, and Budos Band at the Park Slope venue on January 16.

And, while you're at it, find out what all the Fela! fuss is about.

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Clare and the Reasons' healthy choice

One Brooklyn band is channeling their “alter eco.”

Indie rockers Clare and the Reasons embarked on a healthy road trip last October, seeking out fresh local foods along the way.

On December 14, they return home with a show at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg.

The band teamed up with Alter Eco Fair Trade – a San Francisco-based Fair Trade food brand, to put together the Healthy Road Trip Challenge for this year’s tour. The challenge: find local, organic, and fresh produce on their long road trips, which often impede artists’ desire to eat healthy, sustainable, and ethical foods.

With a double electric cooking range as their tool, the band has been subsisting off of Alter Eco’s quinoa and jasmine rice, as well as their Carbon Neutral extra virgin olive oils, combined with fresh local vegetables and organic meat, cooking in the backstage area of the concerts and hotel rooms.

Their Brooklyn show is at 8 p.m. at the Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.). With Keren Ann. Tickets $15.

For their hometown concert, you can still help the band in their quest by providing suggestions on where to find the best, healthiest food in Brooklyn. Where would you suggest?

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More than just music at Knitting Factory

With Hannibal Buress kicking off a weekly comedy series November 15 at Williamsburg's newest venue, Knitting Factory, that's not the only non-music venture the Williamsburg venue is featuring in its front bar.

As Chris White, the senior talent buyer for the venue, tells us, "We're trying to diversity our programming, especially in the front bar. We want to do different types of things that will appeal to a lot of different people."

That includes a full lineup on Sundays, with, in addition to comedy at 9 p.m., a sewing party at noon called Yarndollz and a monthly reading series hosted by author Jami Attenberg called Largehearted Lit. That kicks off this Sunday at 5 p.m. with local authors Lev Grossman and Libba Bray. There is also a weekly Make Love Not War Party on Fridays with DJ Emskee, starting at 11 p.m.

Possibly the best part about all of these? They're free.

"We want to make it the sort of place people know they can come and not only get a drink but maybe see something they wouldn't necessarily see without paying for it," says White, who learned from the Knit's days in Tribeca that not everyone wants to come to the space to see the band, but may just want to hang out in the bar. "All of our events in front bar for now, and hopefully for the foreseeable future, will be free."

Sounds like music to our ears.

Photo: Bumpershine

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Yuks kick off the week at the Knitting Factory

By Meredith Deliso

Have your laughs in Williamsburg each Sunday, when comedy comes to the Knitting Factory.

Starting November 15, Hannibal Buress hosts a weekly comedy show at the Williamsburg venue, inviting friends as well as doing his own routine each week.

Moving to New York from Chicago last year, Buress was hoping for more opportunity as a comedian in the Big Apple. He certainly found it. After performing on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” this past summer (see that clip below), he was snatched up by “Saturday Night Live” and hired as a writer.

Things kind of worked similarly, in a serendipitous way, here in Brooklyn. After performing at the grand opening of the Knitting Factory (he christened the stage as the first performer), they liked what he did and the Williamsburg resident was invited to put together a weekly show.

“We’re trying to diversify our programming, especially in the front bar,” says Chris White, the senior talent buyer for the venue. “We’re focusing mainly on the kinds of things that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on the big space.”

Buress was a natural fit for the venue, says White. “We thought he’d be a perfect match because he’s a neighborhood guy.”

And while Sunday is his only free night of the week, Buress is more than happy to be up on stage honing his craft.

“I stay down the street from the Knitting Factory, so it’s just kind of an ideal situation to have it here,” says Buress, who’ll be joined by fellow comics and friends Kumail Nanjiani and Baron Vaughn for the first show. “It’s great to just to be able to have my own place to try new materials and not have to take the train anywhere.”

Living in Brooklyn has crept into his stand-up routine, including his signature joke about seeing Hasidic Jews for the first time (not nearby in South Williamsburg, but in Borough Park). Goes the joke: “I saw two Hasidic Jews walk past each other without speaking. I thought that was weird. If I saw someone with the exact same outfit as me from head to toe, I’d at least stop and say. ‘That’s a nice hat.’”

Most of his days aren’t spent writing for himself, but for the comedians on “SNL” (more on that here). The past few weeks have been a tutorial, in possibility the biggest way possible for a comedian, in writing the sketch format.

“It’s fun to see work come to life,” says Buress. “To see something go from just being on the page to the sets being built and all the costumes, hair and makeup and then the show. Then we get to start it all over again on Monday.”

With his newest writing gig keeping him pretty busy, the Knitting Factory residency will be the best place to see this rising comedic talent for now.

“I’m just trying to do as much stand-up as I can and focus on the job,” says Buress, who in his free time likes to grab some grub at local spots Dante’s, Chimu and Jimmy’s Diner. “It will be nice to have a regular thing where people can come see me, and Knitting Factory is in a great location. I think it will be great.”

Comedy at Knitting Factory weekly residency, hosted by Hannibal Buress, starts November 15. At 9 p.m. Free. Knitting Factory is located at 361 Metropolitan Ave.

See Hannibal Buress on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"



Photo by Mindy Tucker

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CMJ - Day 4

This is a tough night, with top acts at several Brooklyn venues. It might just depend on what you’re in the mood for.

Music Hall brings dream pop and much hyped bands (is that a good or a bad thing? Both?), with Brooklyn’s School of Seven Bells, London’s young upstarts The XX, and Brooklyn three-piece The Depreciation Guild on the bill. At 9 p.m. Tickets $20.

Rising indie acts converge on Glasslands Gallery (289 Kent Ave.) in Williamsburg tonight, with a Pop Gun Booking unofficial showcase featuring Francis & The Lights, Takka Takka, Pattern is Movement, Let’s Wrestle (UK), Naked Hearts, Drink Up Buttercup, and Bottle Up & Go, with DJ sets by Anamanaguchi. At 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 with rsvp/$14 without.

Top indie acts are also over at the Bell House, with Japandroids, Headlights, James Husband, Cale Parks, Motel Motel, Common Loon, and special guests on the On the Polyvinyl Records showcase. At 7 p.m. Tickets $12.

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CMJ - Day 2

You made it through the first night. Congrats. Now, start planning your second. Here's a look at some of the highlights in Brooklyn tonight:

Expect crowds at Music Hall, when Deerhunter lead singer Bradford Cox performs as his solo project Atlas Sound. Also on the bill are Broadcast and The Selmanaires. At 9 p.m. Tickets $16.

Rock and bowl during CMJ when Julian Marley and The Uprising, featuring Stephen Marley, come to Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, fresh off the release of “Awake.” Also on the bill are Javaughn and Gully Bank Sound System. At 8 p.m. Tickets $16.

Back at the Knitting Factory, the Ernest Jenning Record Co. showcase features another diverse lineup, with Still Flyin, Wild Yaks, The Black Hollies, Title Tracks, La Strada, Takka Takka, Blood Warrior, and Nouvellas. Get your fill of indie, rock and pop. At 7 p.m. Tickets $10.

One of the newer Brooklyn venues, Williamsburg’s Cameo (93rd N. 6th St.) gets in on the marathon this year. Instead of music though, tonight, the biggest draw will be comedy. Anthony Jeselnik, Kumail Nanjiani and Matt McCarthy will perform, with Brooklyn comedy trio Big Terric – Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman, and SNL newbie Jenny Slate (the one currently know for dropping the F-bomb on air) – hosting. At 7 p.m. Free.

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CMJ - Day 1

And so it begins.

Dozens of venues across the city (well, Manhattan and Brooklyn) will be opening their stages to CMJ starting tonight.

The organizers have a handy schedule that you can peruse by venue and date. Here are also our picks again for what's going on tonight in Brooklyn:

You can’t go with wrong with a Brooklyn Vegan showcase, and this one aims to please. Fanfarlo, The Antlers, Laura Marling, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel are scheduled to play Music Hall of Williamsburg (66 North 6th St.), with comedian Dave Hill hosting. At 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15.

Nearby at Knitting Factory’s new Brooklyn location (361 Metropolitan Ave.), labels The Social Registry and No Quarter present a sonic showcase featuring Sian Alice Group, The Psychic Paramount, Highlife, Coconuts, and local experimental instrumentalists Zs. Also that day at the Williamsburg venue are Brooklyn twee rockers Tiny Masters of Today. At 7 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance $12 DOS.

Over at the Charleston (174 Bedford Ave.) in Williamsburg, New Jersey quartet Carlon, fresh off their debut album "Johari Window," executive produced by Dispatch's Pete Francis, will play a CMJ showcase with NYCSmoke, Gold Streets and Hammer No More The Fingers. Starting at 8 p.m.

Farther south at Southpaw (125 Fifth Ave.), the Park Slope venue hosts a CMJ showcase from label Frank Radio, featuring rapper and Wu Tang Clan member U-God, as well as Puba, Wiz Kalifa, Trouble Andrew, Mr. Move, Stalley, Jasmine Solano, and DJ Souljah. At 9 p.m. Tickets $10.

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So So Glos find their star burning bright

By David Chiu

For a band that is still somewhat new, Brooklyn’s indie punk band the So So Glos already had several interesting memorable moments happen to them in their young career.

Some of those moments included going to Europe by plane for their first tour and meeting late ‘70s New Wave singer Pearl E. Gates in Los Angeles. And as guitarist Matt Elkin says, there was also the time when the band was on the road playing two extremely different gigs.

“We played one night a dingy living room in Greenville, North Carolina,” he says, “and the next day we were playing [to] 6,000 people in D.C. opening for Santigold. What a strange sequence that was. Pigging out on hot wings and sleeping on mattresses, and then getting the royal treatment in the green room at the Convention Center. That was pretty amazing.”

The So So Glos — whose members in addition too Elkin include guitarist Ryan Levine, bassist/singer Alex Levine, and drummer Zach Staggers — have played here in the U.S. (they have recently been on tour with Titus Andronicus) and in Europe. And along the way they co-founded Bushwick’s Market Hotel, which has since become the latest local space for live music.

Last year the So So Glos released their second album, “Tourism/Terrorism,” whose sound is energetic punk, though it also embraces some melodic pop. “There’s definitely a consciousness to it,” says Alex. “We were trying to put reality in check and looking at everything through a lens.”

The origins of the So So Glos began in Bay Ridge, where the Levine brothers and their half-brother Zach are from.

The band members were raised on an eclectic music diet that included Nirvana and the Kinks.

“We used to dress up in leather jackets when we were little kids,” says Alex, “and put on our parents records and mimicked what we heard. Eventually bought our instruments. We were writing songs when we were very young.”

With Matt later joining them, the So So Glos went on tour in 2007. When they returned to New York they had no place to live after moving out of their apartment. In their search throughout Brooklyn, they checked out a 4,000 square-foot place in Bushwick that used to be a Dominican nightclub. They liked it but needed an extra $1,000 to offset the rent. That’s when promoter Todd P stepped in, which led to the founding of the Market Hotel.

“[Todd P] loved it,” says Ryan, “and said, ‘I’ll pay $1,000 worth of rent if I can throw shows here.’ We weren’t trying to run a venue. We were trying to live in cheap in New York and go on tour.”

Since then the Market Hotel has been the place for musical performances by acts such as Dan Deacon. Although the members of the So So Glos don’t live at the Hotel anymore, Ryan says: “When I get back to New York [and] I’m homeless, I’ll probably be sleeping there. It’s kind of like we can go there forever.”

Once the So So Glos finish their upcoming tour of Europe, they will begin work on their next album. “We really want to take our time with it,” says Alex, “whereas the first two albums we rushed and recorded everything we had and frantically put it out. I think we really want to craft something that’s our statement to the world.”

The So So Glos will be playing on Oct. 15 at the Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, 347-529-6696, 8 p.m., $12.

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