Last night I had the pleasure of tagging along with Dolly Esquire and Bitch Cakes to Otto’s shrunken Head for the monthly Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. show. I’m no music critic, but I know a good time when i sees one - and this was it. Not only was it my first trip to Ottos (a most excellent tiki bar in the east village) but Sit and Die Co was fantastic. The songs are exceptionally clever and catchy and the band had really funny banter. They have a great snappy sound which they call “hillybilly-styled ballads, boogie and blues.” As I don’t know much about their genre of music - the best I can say is that they’d easily trump the the peppier numbers from “O’brother where art tho,” plus they serve baskets of chips at the show. I highly recommend giving them a listen on their myspace page.

Check them out live at Otto’s the last Thursday of the month from 8-10. Good stuff!

p.s: Michael is clearly an excellent designer! They have the best posters, and table cards, and packaging for their classic western bow-ties!

My new “must visit everyday” site - Skull-a-Day:

Photo courtesy of Skull-A-Day

I haven’t yet decided which of my skull pics I’m going to submit - too many to choose from!

This week is a very busy week for the bands we love to love. Here is a quick recap!

Thursday August 23rd - Frauke plays Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park New Jersey.
Seriously a bowling alley - with live bands and BOWLING!

Friday August 24th - Goes Cube Plays The Bowery Ballroom unleashing a torrent of rock on the lower east side. This is a must see! A MUST SEE! In other Goes Cube news: Check out their new website, or read their latest interview, or download one of the new tunes (#46).

Saturday August 25th - NYC bloggers put on the After the Jump Festival. All day, all night baby! Lots of bands, free show during the day. OMG - will I sleep at all this week?

FREE Day Show Schedule:

2:00 (MetroMix.com Main Stage) The Teenage Prayers
2:30 (CONCERT.TV Side Stage) Jukebox The Ghost
3:00 (MetroMix.com Main Stage) Locksley
3:30 (CONCERT.TV Side Stage) Bling Kong
4:00 (MetroMix.com Main Stage) Golem
4:30 (CONCERT.TV Side Stage) Goes Cube
5:00 (MetroMix.com Main Stage) Ra Ra Riot
5:30 (CONCERT.TV Side Stage) Apache Beat
6:00 (MetroMix.com Main Stage) Spectrum

10:00 The Virgins
11:00 Soulico
Midnight Free Blood
1:00 Riot In Belgium
–
Finger on the Pulse (DJ set)
David Bruno

Come down to Lido Bar tonight for more 70s and 80s yacht rock that you ever thought you could get in one sitting. Because we know and you know that we know, and specifically Mr. Duncan knows, that you really want to sing along to Christopher cross, and sway with the sweet sounds of air supply this evening. A smooth sax solo and some not so subtle synth is on the menu tonight along with the drinks by Nick and Buck Hunt by well, the Buck Hunt Machine.

Like a nit-wit I believe I left my camera (small canon digital) at the 24hour Carroll gardens diner last night. (Sunday morning 1:30am). This is what I get for insisting on snapping a photo of our deep fried appetizer sampler. In any event, this is probably pointless to even post - but if you’ve found a small digital camera, with a depleted battery, and the last photo is of an appetizer sampler - please let me know. I’m way more interested in getting the photos of the camera than the camera itself. But, it would be nice to get the camera back all the same. No questions asked - but a thanks and a chocolate milkshake are in it for you.

Tony Wilson.

Oh to have been in Manchester, England during the late ’70s, early ’80s.

So sad.

Here’s a video from my favourite band, Joy Division (one of the first members of the Factory family), performing New Dawn Fades:

Dark Roasted Blend presents a fun collection of photos and pulp art featuring women and robots:

I want a baby Dalek like the one the model is holding.

link from Jesse

Andrew and I went for a drive down to see Lucy the Elephant (in Margate, NJ just south of Atlantic City) this past weekend. We decided to shoot just a bit farther south and also pay wildwood NJ a visit.

Here is a picture of Lucy. I think this is probably circa 1920-1930s but I’m not sure. I really wish the Coney Island Elephant “Elephantine Colossus” had survived so I could visit that one also. It was 3times the size of Lucy and served as a hotel. Little tid-bit for you - the Coney Island Elephant hotel became associated with prostitution and gave rise to the phrase “seeing the elephant.” Seriously tho, I love this stuff. If I ever win the lottery and Andrew lets me, I’d very much like to build myself an elephant house. Wonder if the original plans from Colossus exist?

Here is Lucy today.

Lucy today.

On our way down to Wildwood we stopped for hot dogs and blizzards. The back of the DQ had a couple of old Dennis the Menace (?) signs.

Being late arrivals to the shore and without reservations we grabbed the only room we could find. It was a dump, but a charming “i’m surprised they don’t rent this place by the hour” sort of dump. That said, there are tons of amazingly cute 1950s motels down in Wildwood and Wildwood crest. Just need to make a reservation.

la boardwalk

Jersey Junkyard ride.

Moby Dick ride

All alone at the teacups.

I’d like to get a sign like this for OrangeYouGlad. I’m not joking.

Yes, that is cheese fries pizza.

The least appealing cheeseburger illustration I think I’ve ever seen.

This lady kicked my ass at the water gun game. I wanted that pink ukulele.

After hours putt-putt.

Just about every one of these iron-ons will make the best tshirt ever.

thanks for the link heide!

I just saw on Brownstoner that Rocky Sullivan’s has moved to Red Hook. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Liam will start giving Irish language lessons at this location as well as hosting Trivia Night. Ah…one more reason to love my neighborhood…