Sad Robots

I just bought Sad Robots, Stars' latest online release. So, so good!

K'naan at S.O.B.s

We went to see K'naan a while back at this amazing venue in the Lower East Side called SOBs. The show took place on the day after his new album "Troubadour" came out, so the energy was amazing. He has a really interesting style and I was a little curious as to how it would go over in a live show; but there was no reason to worry, he was amazing! If you ever get a chance to see one of his shows, you should definitely check it out - it was one of the best performances I've seen in a long time. The crowd was really diverse and had such a great, positive energy. When he went to perform one of the bigger songs off his album, "Waving Flag", he was totally shocked that a huge percentage of the audience already knew the words to the song... he seemed genuinely touched and surprised.

The Living Room

We had a fantastic time last night at The Living Room, an amazing music venue in the Lower East Side.  It's very intimate, it has amazing acoustics, we've never seen a bad performance and there is no cover charge - just a red bucket passed around at the end of each set, encouraging you to contribute to the bands, which most audience members are happy to do.

From NY Mag -- http://nymag.com/listings/bar/living_room
The intimate music venue where Norah Jones played before she was a sensation eventually outgrew its tiny original space. The Living Room's new digs include a comfy upstairs lounge and, back behind the brown velvet curtains, a bigger but still intimate music space that looks enormous to those who remember the crush of chairs, tables, and bodies at the old Living Room. What hasn't changed is the music. Seven nights a week, a mixed crowd turns out for heartfelt, acoustic performances. There isn't always a cover at the Living Room, although the waitress can get a little aggressive with the tip bucket (the suggested donation is $5). The bar offers a limited, bar food menu courtesy of Zozo, down the street. To satisfy the one-drink minimum, choose a cocktail or any of the 15 beers on the extensive list. If you're tempted to talk through a set, the upstairs area provides vintage sofas and a DJ; there, the Living Room finally lives up to its name.
— Kathryn McGrath

We saw three bands: Sputnik, Ben Arnold and The Populists. Sputnik was really neat, they kind of reminded us a bit of Stars. You could tell that Ben Arnold has been performing for years, he was amazing and his act was so tight. The venue was rammed for The Populists, a young band who we weren't sure about at first but they put on a great show and really grew on us by the end of their set.

We'd been a few times when we lived in NYC in 2006 and I have no idea why we hadn't gone back this time around until last night... we will definitely be going back soon!

Short Film Slam at 92Y Tribeca

I went to 92Y Tribeca's Short Film Slam with a friend, who was in town for the weekend and wanted to screen her new short film.

Bring your under ten-minute film (on DVD only), get it shown and pad the house with your friends–audience noise determines the winner. Think onscreen poetry slam. Each Short Slam will be hosted by a different industry professional, i.e. someone aspiring filmmakers will want to impress and the winners of each will face off in the season finale in June.

I was a little skeptical at first, as I had previously attended another short film screening at a bar a couple of years ago and I felt the filmmakers ended up a bit frustrated because people were chatting and drinking and socializing and not really paying attention to the films.

Luckily, the venue at 92Y Tribeca was amazing. It was in a little theatre, with seats for perhaps 50 people, more or less. It wasn't packed but there was a great crowd. As an audience member, it was kind of hit and miss, but I saw some really great films and I will definitely be going back. They have seven of these events and then one in June, for all the winners. With only an 8$ admission cost, it's a great way for emerging filmmakers to experience a public screening, network with peers and get feedback from someone with a successful career in the industry.  My friend's film was selected as the winner by the audience that night, which made the experience so much more fun and cause for celebrations afterwards :-)

Secret Bar - The Back Room

Without a doubt, one of the most unique experiences we've had in NYC is The Back Room, a speakeasy in the Lower East Side. We had to find the sign for the "Lower East Side Toy Company", then walk through this darkly lit corridor until we finally arrived at the bar. It had such an amazing mood, it felt old and musty, but not in a bad way. The beer was served in giant teacups instead of pint glasses!

Bars hidden behind unmarked doors are the faux-grunge counterpart to bottle-service clubs. Back Room, which fronts as a closed toy shop—you creep down an alley to find the entrance—is really no more of a mystery than its rumored investors, Tim Robbins (who’s been tending bar) and Mark Messier, but its devotion to the concept is charming. Drinks are served in teacups to foil “the bulls” (as the police were known in thirties gangster movies), the front door has a peek-and-speak hole, and a sliding bookcase reveals a second bar.
- http://nymag.com/listings/bar/The-Back-Room/