TimeKill New York City asks: What are YOU doing tonight?

At long last, Friday night is upon us! Whether you've meticulously planned out every stop of the evening or decided to leave your night up to fate, check out how these interesting individuals will be killin' time in New York City...

Name: Holly GoNightly                     
Age: Old enough to know better
Profession: Writer/Editor at BlackBook magazine
What are you doing tonight? Going to dinner in Brooklyn, then to the Bunker Club for a DJ friend’s birthday party.
How are you getting in? Taking my chances, but I think that knowing the DJ might help with the details.
Why? Being a nightlife writer, it’s important to keep tabs on what’s going on with the after-dark denizens, which constantly has me going out, and usually to the place of the moment. Bunker is that place, and it just so happens that this ‘it’ place is also the site for a birthday party. I wouldn’t necessarily seek to go to these places on a regular basis myself, I’m a big fan of seeing bands, drinking at dive bars, trying new restaurants, and basically enjoying the nuances of any bar, or restaurant—no matter the perceived “cool” factor. If Bunker doesn’t work out tonight, I would probably head to Mayahuel or Death & Co for some relaxing drinks, and those hot/knowledgeable bartenders
If you had to change plans and kill time some other way, what would you be doing? If I didn’t have to go out tonight I’d probably take a bath and watch Mad Men. Finish of the week by numbing my mind and staring at a blank wall in silence for a few hours. Or see a movie at Sunshine Cinema. 

Name: Chris Loper aka Crisis Kid       Age: 21 Profession: DJ/Producer What are you doing tonight? Tonight you'll be able to catch me gallivanting around the LES for a bit before I make my way over to Sullivan Room for One Family. If all goes well, maybe I'll hit an after hours spot and hope things get slightly out of hand!  How are you getting in? Teleportation. Why? Bass music heavy-hitter Ginz is in town for One Family, definitely not a show you want to pass up. He's a great producer and his music will have you moving and bouncing around without a doubt!  If you had to change plans and kill time some other way, what would you be doing?  Hmmm, I know it's a Friday night but I've been meaning to go see the Banksy film, "Exit Through the Gift Shop." It's gotten rave reviews and I'm a huge fan of his work. So if all else fails, you can find me in that independent theater on the east end of Houston with a big bag of popcorn and some snocaps. ***Make sure you catch my set at "Stuff the Turkey Rave" in Brooklyn, it is sure to be an amazing time. There's a killer lineup in a dope party spot with two dance floors and open bar specials all night. For more information visit the facebook event page. *** www.soundcloud.com/crisiskid  www.facebook.com/djcrisiskid

Name: Steve Lewis  Age: Ageless, older and younger than you or even me. Profession: Nightlife correspondent Blackbook magazine, hospitality/interior designer, dj, consultant, bon vivant What are you doing tonight? Going to multiple clubs/lounges/bars. How are you getting in? I'm Steve Lewis and my attendance is desired by many.  Why? I will go to White Noise for the rockers and the music. I will go to Boom Boom Room to see whats happening at this chic spot. I will go to Lit to hang with friends. I will go to Snap to see if my design of the place is working. I will go to SubMercer to close the evening and wind down with the people who run the joint... who I love. In each case I go to places where I expect that an enjoyable or enlightening experience might be found. I try only to go to joints where the expected is unexpected.  Plans are very restrictive and in an age of instantaneous communication they are silly. You may be taken here or there. I go into the night armed with an open mind. Planning ahead surely is a bore and for amateurs. A perfect stranger might bear me to an imperfect place... now that is what I seek from the night.

Name: Alfonso Gaitan Vald'es
Age: 25
Profession: Designer/Illustrator
What are you doing tonight? Not sure, i do not plan my nights, it's better to come up with something at the moment. Most likely Friday's for me would include Eastern Bloc, Metropolitan, and Union Pool.
How are you getting in? With lot's of style of course. I go often so they won't even check my ID. There is no guest list, which I love, cause the thought of waiting KILLS ME.
Why go there?
The boys are hot, the girls are pretty. Most of them are usually local and when you meet foreigners, they tend to be pretty fun and outgoing; you can find what I call the NY style in their clothing, which is very cool. The music has a good variety; it wont get you tired. But most important, these are the places where you can run into friends, chit-chat, have a drink, and share a sexy move or two.
If plans changed? I guess i would just start walking on 2nd ave, get a falafel in the east village, and something to do would come to mind. 

Check out Alfonso's beautiful work here or there!

Name: Alex G                                 
Age: 27
Profession: Grad Student/Promoter 
What are you doing tonight? Dinner at Pelea Mexicana, then Cipriani SoHo and Le Bain
How are you getting in? I'm the promoter I use myself to get in. 
Why go there? The owner of Pelea Mexicana is a friend of a friend and he was kind enough to give us a free dinner and drinks tonight to pregame before our party at Cipriani. We're promoter's at Cipriani SoHo; we host a table with gorgeous girls. Afterward we usually go to Le Bain at The Standard. The people are extremely friendly and the music there is usually great! Le bain is usually a douchebag-free environment, which is a huge plus especially in the Meatpacking!
If you weren't working tonight? I would definitely go watch Harry Potter. I've been waiting for this movie for quite some time. If i wasn't working and HP7 wasn't out, I would probably do a bar crawl from the LES to the east village with the boys. I haven't had a chance to hang out with my dudes in a while it's been too long since we've all gotten rowdy.

Name: Ashley Simpson                     

Age: 24

Profession:  Editorial Assistant at Interview magazine.

What are you doing tonight? Drinks with friends at Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg, stopping by a friend's art party/exhibition opening at an event space in Chelsea. Then, who knows? Dancing at The Jane?

How are you getting in? No tight doors tonight.

Why? It's Friday and by the end of the long week, I just want to catch up with friends. Looking forward to a low-key evening...  

If you had to change plans and kill time some other way, what would you be doing? Twin Shadow and Bear in Heaven at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Dance-crazy 80s new wave and hazy, synth-rock. Should be good. 

Hope this was inspirational! Now go out and have some fun, it's Friday! 

What to look forward to... Electro House tonight at Webster!

I turn 21 on Sunday and lucky for me there's a sick party at Webster Hall tonight where I just might celebrate! This is what to look forward to :

Tonight: Felguk, Huoratron, and Skrillex at Webster Hall!


I think Webster Hall should start paying me at this point... I just can't help blogging about their parties! Check this out: 

Tonight Felipe Lozinsky and Gustavo Rozenthal, a.k.a Felguk, will be casting sonic spells with bass-led, electro-house beats! Hailing from the land known for party culture and a penchant for upbeat dance music, the Brazilian duo has spent the last two years climbing up the ladder of DJ success, remixing tracks with Tim Healey and even Madonna.  


Next up is Skrillex, the alias of Sonny Moore, who I haven't even thought about since tenth grade when he was still fronting the band From First To Last. Turns out he's been making a pretty good name for himself as an electronic musician. Over the summer he lent vocals to the metalcore band, Bring Me the Horizon, before he embarked on a nationwide tour with Deadmau5 in October.


The final act, Huoratron, began making strides in the experimental house scene in 2002 when he figured out how to pump electro-house music from two Game Boy consoles. The solo project of Aku Raski, Huoratron brings tough,raw house with a unique, heavy sound.

Gate Crashing 101: How to get past the door when you're underage or not on the list.

1. If you're underage, get an ID...but not a fake one. Fake IDs are pointless and a waste of money. They are overpriced, bad quality, and will only infuriate the person checking your ID.
As a naive freshman, I once tried entering a club with a fake ID that I had spent upwards of a hundred dollars on. Though I was a little nervous about having the fake, the guy who made it assured me that the hologram made it look authentic. WRONG! I found out the hard way that this was not the case. Within thirty seconds of presenting my new ID, a bouncer looked at it, looked back at me, pulled a tiny pair of scissors out of his pocket and cut my card in half. Ironically, I was then allowed to go in the club...
Not all bouncers care if the person on your ID is actually you, a lot of them just want to make sure you at least resemble the person in the picture. If they ask for a second form of ID, say you didn't bring one. If your ID is expired, tell them it costs $80 to renew and you're broke.

2. Get on the guest list. Going.com and Yodelscope.com are two websites I've found to be useful when trying to figure out how to RSVP for private events in New York. An RSVP doesn't necessarily ensure free admission, but it almost always means that the entry fee will be reduced. If you legitimately know someone working at the party, by all means use that to your advantage, but don't randomly name drop. If you have industry friends, hit them up for RSVP email addresses. People in PR and media always have access to cool industry events. If you're really desperate, you could try telling the person with the clipboard that you're with the press and you're covering the event, or that you're a party photographer for a blog. Get creative, but be smart.

3. Promoters. While associating with promoters will definitely cause your cellphone inbox to overflow with cheesy, annoying mass-text-messages; knowing promoters is a great way to gain access to free parties and free drinks. Promoters can usually get people into clubs without any ID and some of them do free dinners before their parties. Since the majority of promoters don't want to bring dudes out with them, this tip really applies to females. If you're out at a club, try to find out if there are any promoter tables. If there are, go over and chat them up, tell them how many 'beautiful girlfriends' you have and get their card.

4. Dress to Impress. Ever tried getting into a party that was "filled to capacity"?! Stylish costumes and clothing can definitely help your chances of crashing a totally packed event. When you're dressed in something awesome, door people are more likely to overlook the fact that your name isn't on the guest list or that your eyes are blue, but on your ID they're brown...

5. Flirt and make friends. If there is any advice I have for eager party-goers in New York, it is to make the most of your networking opportunities. When standing on line at an event, take a look at the people around you and find someone to talk to. Ask people who they know at the party and what brought them there.
When I went to see Caspa at Webster Hall a few weeks ago, I met some cool people on line who got in on a guestlist with reduced admission. We exchanged numbers, and last week at the Rusko concert they were nice enough to put my friends and I on their list.
Flirting is another option - I tried to get into club Love to see Jamie from The XX dj a few weeks ago, and when I got up to the doorman I noticed that he had a Scorpio tattoo on the side of his neck. I was a little worried he might have an issue with my ID, so I timed things out perfectly and complimented him just as he began to look it over. Distracted and Flattered, he let me in without looking at the ID again.

These are just a few tips I thought of off the top of my head for my "How to" post for class. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to post in the comments section! Good luck gate crashers!

Election Day is tomorrow!

Tomorrow (November 2nd) is Election Day! This is a major opportunity for all of us to get involved in changing the political landscape of New York, so get out to the polls tomorrow and cast your ballots!

While doing some research on the elections, I accidentally stumbled upon AARP's website. AARP is a non-governmental organization for seniors, and although I'm sure the majority of my readers are under 50, the site actually has a pretty useful tool; an electronic ballot that shows the different candidate's responses to important issues and whether they support or oppose certain policies.You can get familiar with the policies of the candidates running for senate positions and for governor of New York by checking out the links available on the website, and fill out the easy-to-use e-ballot to reference tomorrow when you're out at the polls. Also check out these two websites on the candidates for governor, Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino.  


E-Ballot          Andrew Cuomo        Carl Paladino

Get the facts from:  http://www.factcheck.org/

Vote Blue! 

Checking up on Thursday Night Live with Dead Sparrows

I originally wrote this piece on John Varvatos' Thursday Night Live for BlackBook's website, but unfortunately there was some miscommunication that prevented it from going online before the topic was considered too out-dated. Rather than let it go to waste, I've decided to put the article up here. The next Thursday night live is coming up soon on November 4th anyway, so here's a little preview to get you familiar with it:

Dead Sparrows' Joey Hamm and Graham Finn playing at Thursday Night Live.


When the media first covered John Varvatos’ controversial take-over of hallowed punk-rock venue CBGB’s, in 2009, many music lovers were alarmed by the fashion designer’s move. Lower East Side musicians took a stand outside the club-turned-boutique, bearing signs decrying the gentrification of the neighborhood and corporate control in the art world. Perhaps, when VIPs and velvet ropes rolled out to celebrate the opening night, these were not unwarranted fears. But at this month’s Thursday Night Live, nearly two years after the label began putting on monthly free gigs for local bands; Varvatos proved he’s done right by the place with a performance from Dead Sparrows that evoked the club’s former days.

Donning leather and plaid, a mixed crowd of old and young gathered at 315 Bowery to catch the New York City based band, Dead Sparrows, who reunited after a summer hiatus to deliver a set filled with raspy vocals and riff-driven rock. With Joey and Steve Hamm on guitar, vocals, and bass, Graham Finn on guitar, background vocals, and Jon Airis on drums, the band produced an indie sound with roots somewhere between surf-rock and Led Zeppelin. Sipping on chocolate and jalapeno mixed drinks (compliments of Tanteo Tequila) and free PBR, the crowd heard “Boycrush” and “Tower” off Dead Sparrow’s debut album, Into the Nettles (2009), along with some of the band’s newer material, which has yet to be named. A few of the tunes were revamped versions of old Cummies songs; the band’s former name prior to the addition of Finn.  Stylistically, Dead Sparrows’ is not something you’ve never heard before, but their appeal is the expert execution of classic rock by talented musicians devoted to the genre. To the Lower East Siders bereaved by CBGB’s transformation, Finn said, “We can pine for the old days or we can get on with it, I choose the latter. Anytime I get a chance to play on the same stage as Robert Plant, ZZ Top, and Perry Farrell, I'm going to take it, you'd be stupid not to!” Dead Sparrows will begin work on their latest album before the year is up.

While Varvatos may be capitalizing on the legendary status of his adopted venue, he is simultaneously responsible for keeping this newfangled shadow of the old CBGB’s alive. And who better to take on such a task than a genuine rock fan with serious financial backing? Though it now houses his somewhat obscenely expensive line of menswear, all of the old night club’s former glory has not disappeared - the walls of vintage posters, stickers, and other relics from the CBGB’s heyday have all been preserved, thanks to the designer.

Clay Wright, who works alongside Victor Caracappa to book the up-and-coming rock bands for “Thursday Night Live”, said they are attempting to bring great music back to 315 Bowery while giving bands a platform to launch off of - much like what the original CBGB’s did for band’s like Talking Heads, Blondie, and the Ramones. Protesters are fewer and fewer these days, “It’s always hilarious to us. [They are] mostly kids who were never around anyhow. We just say: Would you rather it had been a Duane Reade or Chase bank? Come see a show, then tell us how you feel. I mean Arturo Vega (Ramones manager) helped preserve it and loaned old memorabilia for the opening. If ZZ TOP, Alice Cooper, Slash, and Joan Jett are cool with it, we aren't too concerned with kids who never even knew what it was truly like.”

On November 4^th, John Varvatos will host an EP release party for a new band that’s been generating a lot of buzz; The Madison Square Gardeners. "These guys are going places,” Wright said, “The Village Voice dubbed them the ‘best New York City has to offer’ right now.” 

Less party, more play.

I realized that I've been blogging about a lot of parties and concerts, but have really neglected to draw attention to some of the other things dear to my heart, like art and theater. So in order to make this a healthy, well-rounded blog (and to uphold the statements I made in 'Say Wha?') I'll try to include more various ways of TimeKillin' in NYC from here on out. So here it goes:


A little over a week ago, I went to see a great new off-broadway hit, The Divine Sister, at the SoHo Playhouse. Written by the famous Charles Busch and directed by Carl Andress, The Divine Sister is a religious satire about three nuns; Mother Superior (Charles Busch), Sister Walburga (Alison Fraser), and Sister Acacius (Julie Halston), who live in a crumbling convent in Pittsburgh circa 1950. Things around the convent start to get a little bizarro when one of their young charges, Agnes (Amy Rutberg), begins seeing spiritual visions and claims to have the power to heal... 

Though I can't fully summarize the entire plotline here, basically the nuns must grapple with the legitimacy of Agnes’ visions and powers, while facing other hilarious challenges like how to squeeze donations out of a wealthy atheist in order to rebuild the convent, dealing with whether or not they even truly believe in God themselves, and wondering if trading in their steamy sex lives for worship was really a good idea after all. 


While it definitely mocks the genre, The Divine Sister is modeled after those old Hollywood nun movies like The Bells of St. Marys. It takes a provocative, modern approach with subjects like homosexuality and atheism, and in case that doesn't peak your interest, the script is ridden with the dirtiest words you've ever heard.


Though I would highly recommend this play to people in their late teens and early twenties, the truth is that this is a play for all ages. Oddly enough, on the night that I went to go see it, the crowd was full of old people, like, really, really old people. The man across from me had on a breathing tube.True, at the beginning, the onslaught of cursing and discussion of a legendary "eleven inch shlong", were somewhat uncomfortable for me to sit through in a room full of grandparents, but after a while I could tell the geezers were totally into it!


If you enjoy South Park-type humor; as in religious or political satire with lots of cursing, then this is a play for you. 


Tickets are $65 (kind of pricey, I know) but it really is a great show and I think there are student discounts online.

SoHo Playhouse 
15 Vandam Street
between Varick st. and 6th ave. 
Visit Divinesisteronstage.com for more information! 

Places I went to and didn't tell you about... SORRY! Boxers and Dominatrixes...

So I am a terrible, terrible person for not blogging about some of these events beforehand, especially about this underground boxing match called "Friday Night Throwdown" I went to in the Lower East Side last Friday. Some friends of mine who may or may not be associated with the label Sloane NYC are involved with throwing this event I think every 6-8 months? I might be wrong on that, but regardless, this party was utter fight-club madness!

The boxing match was held on one of the upper floors of an empty warehouse on Allen and Delancey where they had built a small boxing ring in the middle of the room and set up a bar and stage for DJs on either side of it. About 200 or more hipsters, models, socialites, hippies, you name it, showed up to see a bunch of scrawny white kids beat the shit out of each other.

Since I'm generally not a huge fan of violence, I kind of expected to be turned off by this. But I have to admit, I couldn't help feeling super pumped when the music started playing and they brought the fighters out. The crowd went totally ape shit; screaming, cheering, booing, and raising their cellphones and cameras up into the air to try and capture some of the excitement. Lucky for me, Canaan Albright, who took some of my favorite photos of the event, was kind enough to let me use some of them for TimeKill, so enjoy!

I was especially pleased when DJ Messkid started spinning dubstep... Yes, I think I was the only one dancing at this point, but I didn't really care. Perhaps not everyone has caught onto the bass-wave just yet, but you wait! This music is getting mainstreamed pretty fast!

 

Photos courtesy of Canaan Albright - http://www.canaanalbright.com/


After this party my boyfriend and I decided to follow another friend of ours to a party in midtown at a club called Rebel. Now I generally don't go out in midtown, nor have I been to Rebel before, but in a desperate moment we took our friend's word for it and joined him on his way to a "Goth" party.

When we arrived at the Goth party everyone was dressed in shiny leather, fishnets, combat boots, the works. We felt totally underdressed and joked about how we should have come in costume. Then we went upstairs. Let me tell you, in my four years living in New York City, I had never been to a party like this before.

We entered the main room of the club to find people tying each other up to large, wooden contraptions and whipping one another's bare asses! Yes, I'm talking ass-less leather pants, people. In the other room, an ogre-like woman was being bound in ropes by a smaller leather clad female...and apparently this was normal. In fact, the only 'weirdos' there were my boyfriend and I. Our friend had taken his shirt off so he fit in, but I think I was the only girl there who wasn't topless and wearing pasties! And let's not forget the 70-something year old man walking around in a baby costume. Someone wearing a leather hat even asked if he could give me a foot massage.

Oh no, this was no Goth party we had come upon, but a dominatrix/fetish party. We stayed for a half an hour before we started to feel too sketched out to stay any longer. So, not exactly a party I was into, but not everyone can say they went to one of these, and now I have. Unfortunately there are no photos from this event, but you can use your imagination.