Happy Halloween

To celebrate Halloween (and becasue I am mildly obsessed with him) I thought I would post this article and video with a short reading from Stephen King's new book, "Under the Dome".

So what is everyone doing this year for Halloween? You certainly have plenty of options, that's for sure.

The main event tonight will be World Inferno playing Grand Ballroom in their annual Hallowmas extravaganza. Doors are at 8pm. O'Death to open. This show has sold out so if you haven't bought your ticket yet then have fun sneaking in.

Tegan and Sara are playing Town Hall for the second night. Katie Stelmanis is opening. Doors are at 7:30, show starts at 8pm.

Deer Tick plays the songs of the Sex Pistols at Brooklyn Bowl. Doors are at 6pm and show starts at 9pm. You can get in for free if you wear a costume, so get creative.

Kevin Devine opens for the Get Up Kids at The Filmore at Irving Plaza. 9pm show.

I'm sure there are plenty of other shows and parties happening throughout the night if you don't like any of the ones I have listed. Plus there's always the Halloween Parade that is held every year in Greenwich Village. Whatever you do, I hope you have a Spooktacular good time

Lost Curtain Call

The series finale of Lost is fast approaching. The trailer doesn't reveal much of anything but I figured I would post it anyway.



Are you ready?

Stephen King: Under the Dome

Stephen King's latest novel "Under the Dome" is set to go on sale November 10th. This is a book that has been 30 years in the making. "Every time I went back and picked it up again, science had changed," he told Entertainment Weekly. Follow the link for the full article, as well as the trailer for the release of the book.

CMJ in Video

The blog is sad with lack of posting, so here are a couple videos from CMJ. I didn't take any of them but the first one is from the Bowery show I went to on the 20th and the second is from the show I almost went to on Saturday the 24th. Enjoy!

Switchfoot to Tour Again

Tickets go on sale today for Switchfoot's latest tour. This is in anticipation of their new album "Hello Hurricane" which comes out this November. The tour itself starts October 30th in Florida and hits the NY/NJ area December 8th when they come to Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show are $25. This blogger has missed every chance to see Switchfoot live and may just have to go see this show. Will you be there?

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Bon Jovi Announces World Tour

Bon Jovi has announced a world tour to go along with the upcoming new album they are currently working on. The New Jersey stop will consist of two dates at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East rutherford, NJ. The last tour Bon Jovi did was also the opening of Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Seeing as how the band is the pride of NJ it only seems fitting that they play such an important role in the expansion of the music scene here.

BRM CMJParties

Beyond Race Magazine will be hosting two free parties today and tomorrow at Crash Mansion. The one tonight is from 5-8pm and features Apollo Heights, Bodega Girls, Jeff the Brotherhood, and Love Language. The one tomorrow is from 4-7pm and features Army/Navy, Pete and the Pirates, Kiss Kiss, and Helado Negro. So go check out some free performances and have a few drinks.

While you're there tonight, why not stay for the show to follow. TM Promotions is bringing you Nick Howard, Alyson Greenfield + more. Show starts at 10:30pm. Nick and Alyson are both great performers (although I am a little biased when it comes to Alyson) so it is definitely worth sticking around for.

Windows 7 release

Anyone out there with a complaint about Wondows Vista raise your hand?

That's what I thought. Well have no worry because hope is here. Windows 7 has been officially released to the public. There is even a deal for college students to get a discount on an upgrade. You better act fast though because it is only available until January 2010. Perfect timing for people making their Christmas lists...

CMJ 2009 Day 1 - Jukebox the Ghost + more

While others bounced from one venue to the next (see title link for example) I spent opening night of CMJ at Bowery Ballroom. Due to time issues I missed the first band, Care Bears On Fire, but the rest of the night was full of great music with lots of energy. We had a surprise visit from Lights Resolve, who were added to the bill last minute.





Next was Zach Williams accompanied by his band. I have seen him solo acoustic before, so I was not ready for the huge amount of energy that they brought to the table. It was quite a pleasant surprise.





Following Zach were co-headliner Stand, an Irish band with another enjoyable set.





Finally was the moment I had been waiting for, Jukebox the Ghost. They played mostly new songs, but there were also the fan favorites "Hold It In" and "Good Day". I met a couple other enthusiastic fans who enjoyed the set just as much as I did (if not more).







*all photos by Christine Wagenheim

CMJ Starts Today

Just a quick post to remind everyone that CMJ starts today. The only thing I will be going to is Jukebox the Ghost/Stand at Bowery Ballroom. Opening for them are Zach Williams and Care Bears on Fire. The rest of the week for me has yet to be decided. You can follow CMJ through their website or on Twitter. Hope everyone has a great week.

Joss Whedon to direct episode of Glee

Joss Whedon, the guy who gave us Buffy: the Musical (one of the most popular episodes of the series) and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, is going to dip his toes in the musical pool again. This time he will be directing an episode of the musical comedy, Glee. The show has always given me the same musical campy feeling that Whedon's work has for me, so this seems like a good move in my book. In fact, I hope he directs more future episodes as well. This isn't to say that the show isn't good as is, far from it actually. I just think that once in awhile Whedon could add a little something to the mix that would be quite welcome by viewers. This will also attract new viewers who may not be paying attention to the show yet, but would be hooked after following this one directed by their god of television (yes, I do believe there are people who worship him enough to watch just for this alone). It will be interesting to watch the ratings before and after this episode airs (whenever that might be). Presumably he won't start working on this until he has a break from Dollhouse, which is his latest attempt at making fantasy television viewers squee with delight. The fact that it is currently in its second season means it is already doing better than Firefly, which has a cult following but never did well enough in the ratings to stay alive very long. Personally, I am behind in my Dollhouse viewing (just about to finish DVD of first season), but what I have seen so far I have thoroughly enjoyed. I hope it has staying power equal to his previous hits of Buffy or Angel. As with most things, only time will tell.

Big Picture Media CMJ Showcase

CMJ SHOWCASE SCHEDULE
8pm - 8:20pm: Chevonne

8:30pm - 8:50pm: A Clear Blurr

9:10pm - 9:40pm: The New Collisions

10:00pm - 10:30pm: Nightmare of You

10:50 - 11:20pm: Lights Resolve

11:40pm - 12:05pm: Grudgeholder

12:25am - 12:55am: Super 400

1:15am - 1:45am: Love Grenades

Upcoming Dates

TM Promotions has apparently been busy, as they have announced three news shows for the month of October. Here's all the info (or follow the link to their Facebook page):

Sunday October 18th @ 7:10pm
folk/punk show @ Lake Johnson
258 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday October 20th @ 6:30pm (w/Whitesmith Entertainment
8 bands @ Crash Mansion, including:
Invade Rome
Fearsom Sparrow
Demander
Sydney Wayser
Family Of The Year
Denice Barbarita and The Morning Papers
YYula Beeri and The Extended family
Horray For Earth

Thursday October 22nd @ 10pm
acoustic showcase @ Crash Mansion
includes Nick Howard, Alyson Greenfield + more

All three look to be good shows. I will be attending at least one (possibly two) of them. Hope to see you there.

Thursday, October 15 Shows

Tonight there are three great shows you could be going to.

1) Titus Andronicus and So So Glows at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. If it weren't for the weather wearing me down I would be going to this.

2) Gaslight Anthem at Terminal 5. Also playing are Murder By Death, Jesse Malin, and Broadway Calls. Anyone who had a ticket to see Gaslight play All Points West can use it to get a free drink tonight.

3) Airborne Toxic Event at Webster Hall. This show is sold out so if you don't already have tickets you're out of luck.

Hope the bad weather doesn't ruin your day and you are able to go out and enjoy one of these shows. They all look like they should be memorable events.

Glee Gives Something For Everyone

Some may have been skeptical when Glee presented itself as a "musical comedy" that it would be able to survive in network television. Even science fiction shows usually have higher hopes than the whimsical fare shows like Glee give viewers. I consider myself one of the many that are Gleeful over how well the show has done in the ratings so far though. Not only that but there have been some hits on iTunes as well. There is even talk of the first of hopefully many Glee soundtracks, which would give the public an opportunity to own all the snappy numbers that have been featured on the show so far (which range from country to hip hop and everything in between). With something to attract a whole host of people, Glee should have no trouble snagging enough viewers for a continuation of the show. Musicians everywhere, rejoice, for music has been brought amongst the masses... and it was good.

Fun Theory

Through the powers of social media I have stumbled upon this intriguing idea brought to us by Volkswagen. The idea basically says that people are more likely to do things that are better for them (and the environment) when they are presented in a more enjoyable way. For example, the first video shows that more people took the stairs vs. the escalator when the stairs were transformed into a giant piano, thus making them more entertaining and preferable to the ease of the escalator. A slightly more detailed article on the experiment can be found here . A second video shows more people refraining from littering and actually using trash bins when it is shown to be more fun, while a third video reports that coming soon will be an experiment on making recycling more enjoyable. Can't wait to see how that one turns out.

Nobel Prize Goes to Pres Obama

President Obama was chosen as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Some question whether or not he has done anything deserving enough of this high honor quite yet. True he shows promise, but the award shouldn't be anticipatory of the future success he hopes to have while in office. What are your thoughts on this matter? I'd love to get differing opinions.

Google Doodles: The Barcode

Anyone who has visited Google today may have noticed a giant barcode on the top of their screen. No, Google is not selling itself to the highest bidder. It is recognizing the invention of the barcode, which is celebrating its 57th anniversary. The story (which I have linked to) is actually somewhat interesting if you like reading about random things such as this that no one seems to care about. Something to think about when you purchase that stick of gum or diet soda today.

Memphis (and the music) Lives in Me

Memphis is in New York now, on Broadway to be exact. This is the next great musical to hit the stage this season. It stars an outstanding cast of both old pros and rising stars. These talented performers sing and dance in a magical way, and take you to a time and place where life wasn't easy but the music sure was smooth. It is fascinating to see how one person uses the power of music to break down barriers in a way no one thought possible. All he wants to do is make the music he loves accessible to everyone, but it becomes much more than that. It's something you should see for yourself. The show is currently in previews with opening night scheduled for Monday, October 19th. So grab a friend and take them down to Memphis for a night of music and thrills they won't soon forget.

Coming Soon To A Theater Near You: CMJ

CMJ is almost upon us and everyone is buzzing about what's to come. Schedules have finally been posted. Follow the title link of the day (in case you haven't noticed I try to link you to something with each post) and start thinking about what you want to go see the most. I haven't looked at the whole schedule yet but I am already excited about Jukebox the Ghost playing Bowery Ballroom on October 20th. What is everyone else looking forward to the most?

And the Gold Medal Goes To...

Rio has been chosen to host the 2016 Olympics. Other contestants included Madrid, Chicago, and Tokyo. While it would have been good for America if Chicago won, this will be the first time a South American country has hosted the Olympic games. Can't complain about that, now can we? Personally I am excited about London hosting the Olympics in 2012. I can't think of a better excuse to finally knock London off my list of places to visit (besides the fact that I have friends there). Now I just need an Olympics in Germany and Australia and I'll be all set.

Pay It Forward

Ever hear that helping others makes you feel better and doubted it? If so, here is an example for you. There was an autism bake sale at my school today. Normally I would walk passed these things without notice, but I was feeling fairly good already and it is a cause I care slightly more about so I stopped to give a donation. I wasn't thinking about buying sweets so much as helping the cause. The woman thanked me greatly and said to take five items from the table. Now there was no way I was going to be able to eat all of those sweets, so when I got to the cafe we have on campus and found two of my friends I immediately went to their table and offered to share my goodies. One girl thanked me and said it would be great for her dessert. My mood improved even more. I continued my day with uplifted spirits and even found class less boring than usual. All because of a table of baked goods and five dollars. Who says you don't get anything out of giving?