Back to the Drawing Board

Okay, so where's the next LIC show space? Dominie's Hoek is great, but a bit limiting on size and styles, understandbly... it was a fun run. Land-use conflicts, they get you every time... Who has an idea? Todd P told me that that little bar on top the Hunterspoint Ave. 7 train stop, or that space on the side of Jackson Ave. Steakhouse could be options. We'll see... things were starting to get good, too, with strong turnout regularly, DJs downstairs, and more folks involved in putting together and helping out at shows.

After a year and a half of trying to make it work, The Creek and The Cave will no longer be able to continue as a live music venue. It is simply not fair to the folks who live above us and residential buildings aren’t typically as forgiving as ours has been. The staff at The Creek and The Cave want to thank so many folks who volunteered, played, and partied with us over the past 18 months. We had a blast and hope you did too.

Special Thanks goes out to:
Drew St. Aubin
Brandon Zwagerman
Gabe
Andy Guthrie
Jake and WLWL
Justin and The Gulf of Michigan
Queens Denim Rockers
Greg Smith and The Broken English
John Foote and Yellowdog
The Hard Lessons
Third Space Music
The Rockers

We wish you all the best of luck in the future.

Respectfully,
Rebecca A. Trent
Owner, The Creek and The Cave

Frappucino-Free Zone (For Now)

In hot neighborhood news, it looks like LIC will be spared a Starbucks for at least the near future. Although I won't be surprised of one of these new glassy buildings comes with one built-in eventually. Ah well.

I'm off the map traveling to California and Michigan for a few weeks starting Saturday, so there won't be another post until April, but we're all adults here and you know how to check venue websites. But first, we've got an all-female show at the Creek and the Cave on Friday and a few options Saturday. Have fun out there. Look both ways when crossing the street.

hold down the fort and my booth at Court Square Diner.

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***Friday, March 13***

LOCKET (Queens, NY)

NINA & HER BAND (Long Island?, NY)

SOMER (Manhattan, NY)

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, March 14***

MOAID 2008
A benefit for St. John's EMT Elaine Mohini Hoare featuring YELLOWDOG, DJs, and raffles

Starts at 6 PM
$25

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, March 14***

BOGS VISIONARY ORCHESTRA (Brooklyn, NY)

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

@ DOMINIE'S HOEK

Funeral

Just got the sad news via TXT from Justin @ Dominie's Hoek:

Funeral service for Herman the Fish tonight at Dominie's Hoek. The wake starts at, say, 11? And when I close the bar we're walking him down to the East River.

Arcade Fire This Weekend in LIC

Shameless, yes, but now that I have your attention (the bands are probably pissed that I did that, and hype = super gross, but sometimes works), I am happy to announce that while (The) Arcade Fire is NOT playing Queens this weekend, if you like sprawling-ass anthemic bands along those lines as much as I do (albeit rather different takes on such an arrangement), you're in luck. RAVENS AND CHIMES come uptown and across the river for a special "acoustic" show, their big send-off before heading down to South by Southwest. Their album Reichenbach Falls is one of the best NYC records I've stumbled upon recently, and their live performances are a knockout. MY OTHER FRIEND and THE LOOM, both heavyweights in their own right, open up the night. Trust me, the room will be packed both on-stage and -off. Highs in the 50s. Accordions and strings likely. Wear awesome scarves and colorful galoshes. The future's so bright you gotta wear shades.

On another note, (ahem) TITS & SPANDEX spins "smash hits" downstairs until the wee hours. Danceparty? It's happened before.

Be there, or be lame.

Saturday night: drum & bass DJs at the Creek and the Cave, bluegrass at Dominie's Hoek. You'll probably pick one, or the other.

Queens is the new awesome / needs a new publicist.


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***Friday, March 7***

RAVENS AND CHIMES (Manhattan, NY)
"Justifiably, Ravens & Chimes' sound is frequently associated with the Arcade Fire, but the band finds their element somewhere in between Leonard Cohen and Vampire Weekend." -SPIN



MY OTHER FRIEND (Brooklyn, NY)
"There is a wonderfully hypnotic quality to this music - recommended for fans of Arcade Fire and The Decemberists" -THE DELI MAGAZINE



THE LOOM (Brooklyn, NY)
"The Loom aren't that old fashioned, but with banjos, accordions, and considerable melodrama—their word, not mine—the Brooklyn band harks back to the early days, when big beards and plaid shirts symbolized austere living, not outer-borough bohemianism."* - THE DELI MAGAZINE



* (2 out of 3 ain't bad)

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

DJs TITS & SPANDEX (Brooklyn, NY) spin "smash hits, soul classics, and secret jams" downstairs!

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, March 8***

DRIVEN AM showcase
Drum & bass DJs RANDOM MOVEMENT, FOCUS, & MIXMASTER DOC

$10

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, March 8***

ALL NIGHT COOKIN' (Queens, NY)
Bluegrass!

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

@ DOMINIE'S HOEK

No Time Left for You

No time for pithy press quotes this week, but should be a fun show tonight in Long Island City Queens: THE LAVENDERS return with their garage-pop, EMPTY ORCHESTRA visits from the postindustrial landscapes of Genessee County, Michigan, and MANNY NOMIKOS makes his LIC debut. DJ AGENT RAMONA will make you nostalgic for the 1990s downstairs.


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***Friday, February 29***

THE LAVENDERS (Manhattan, NY)

EMPTY ORCHESTRA (Flint, MI)

MANNY NOMIKOS (Manhattan, NY)

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

DJ AGENT RAMONA (Brooklyn, NY) spins 1990s indie rock downstairs!

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE

Jawck Jams

Thanks to everyone who packed the room last week and to Em over at GUILT FREE PLEASURES for the nice writeup on MATT JONES' set, shuffleboard, and more:

This week in LIC/QNS/NYC, we've got a rare solid-borough lineup; with all bands and our downstairs danceparty instigator all hailing from Kings County.

Looking just over the horizon, much-lauded NYC sprawlsemble and personal favorite of mine RAVENS AND CHIMES headline a pre-SXSW sendoff show on March 7. Save the date. Bring a date.

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***Friday, February 22***

CATAVOLIS (Brooklyn, NY)
"Catavolis approach music with a painterly eye, creating songs on the songs' terms." -STAGE.FM

THE WHITE NOISE SUPREMACISTS (Brooklyn, NY)
"Somehow managing to merge pop, punk, New Wave, and noise rock together."-SMOTHER

JEREMY JOYCE (Brooklyn, NY)
Melancholic Americanic.

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

DJ MELISSA (Brooklyn, NY) spins jawck jams downstairs in the lounge!

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE

Valiumtimes Day

Happy Valiumtimes Day! Quite the pile-o-music-happenings this weekend in Long Island City QNS NYC. Tonight The Creek and the Cave highlights the debut of new band PALMYRA and the return of one of Michigan's songwriting geniuses, MATT JONES, not to mention Ann Arbor-to-Philly transplant EMILY BATE and GOING GONE from Astoria. In what hopes to be the beginning of a weekly friday DJ series downstairs in the lounge, DJ PEACHY KEANE and DJ LAURA spin all your indiepop faves during and after the show. Stick around for the party! Gabriel hosts a hard-to-beat lineup tomorrow night with SOFT BLACK, MICHAEL LEVITON, THE JONES STREET BOYS, and the return of the always-lovely KELLI RAE POWELL. Meanwhile, bluegrass returns to Dominie's Hoek with MELTING POINT.

I'm diggin' the ALL CAPS.

Drop me a note if you'd ever like to DJ or work the door some Friday; we're always looking to get more people involved as we build this little scene at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge.

MATT JONES performing at the Creek back in December:



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***Friday, February 15***

PALMYRA (Brooklyn, NY)
Spankin' new band featuring members of Umberto, The Ambitious Brothers, and The Dumb & Ugly Club

MATT JONES (Ann Arbor, MI)
"Some rare singers have the gift to captivate at first notes, this is Matt Jones' case. But this initial attraction is progressively converted into a complete addiction." -YOU CRAZY DREAMERS

EMILY BATE (Philadelphia, PA)
"Casual sex? Perpetual indecision? Youthful indiscretion?" -CD BABY

GOING GONE (Queens, NY)
Female duo from Astoria.

Music starts at 8 PM
$5

DJ PEACHY KEANE (Brooklyn, NY) + DJ LAURA (Finland!) spin indiepop jams downstairs in the lounge!

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, February 16***

SOFT BLACK (Hawthorne, NJ)
"The prolific, big-haired prince of psychedelic folk-pop comes to the Creek to spin his modern fables, backed by his stompin' band (who also have hair, and who break hearts just like he does). Come and see why the antifolk scene in the East Village can't get enough of him."

MICHAEL LEVITON (Brooklyn, NY)
"You're at Coney Island in midwinter, everything's closed, and you're hopelessly in love with the girl in full mermaid regalia who has incongrously shown up at the boardwalk. Such is the appeal of starry-eyed ukelele crooner Michael Leviton." - PASTE

THE JONES STREET BOYS (Brooklyn, NY)
"For a band of Brooklynites, the Jones Street Boys kick up a pretty good hillbilly stomp . . . They play their catchy originals with virtuosic mandolin jams and honky-tonk piano fillers, and top them with off-kilter, good-time harmonies." -TIME OUT NEW YORK

KELLI RAE POWELL (Brooklyn, NY)
"We learn once and for all that size isn't everything. With her little guitar and diminutive stature, Kelli Rae's performance is kick-ass big. A cabaret bad-girl's persona sets the theme for many of her songs, yet you know this is a vehicle for metaphor about all our desires and social human folly." -JEZEBEL MUSIC

Music starts at 8 PM
$5

ALL AGES upstairs in the theater and restaurant
21+ downstairs in the bar/lounge

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, February 16***

MELTING POINT (Brooklyn, NY)
Bluegrass!

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

@ DOMINIE'S HOEK

Fresh from Iceland!

This weekend in LIC QNS NYC, a few shows occur. Go figure. A two-band rock show Friday, and Andy Guthrie brings some friends for his monthly songwriter shindig on Saturday. Next week: Matt Jones, Michael Leviton, and more! Stay tuned.


***Friday, February 8***

DOG-DAY CICADA (Long Island, NY)
Kids from the Long Island suburbs try their luck at Long Island City.

LOCKET (Queens, NY)
Fresh from Iceland!
Music starts at 10 PM
$5
As always, all ages in the theater and restaurant areas, 21+ downstairs in the bar

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, February 9***

ANDY GUTHRIE (Queens, NY)
No relation to Woody or Arlo. Or is there?

GEORGE MEL (Manhattan, NY)
Jazz percussionist and compser via Georgia (the country)

BRYAN DUNN (Brooklyn, NY)
"a modest musician who has the power to get his songs inside your head. FOREVER!!!" -LISTEN UP!
Music starts at 9 PM
$5
As always, all ages in the theater and restaurant areas, 21+ downstairs in the bar

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE

Your Pet Sugar Glider

Doesn't it ever snow in this town? Weather or not this rain keeps up, LIC is not the driest nabe in the city, as you bar regulars know. We've got a pop show tonight and an acousticy show tomorrow; I'm going to be stuck at the office (hooray dayjobs!) all weekend other than a few brief breaks for live music and sleep. Won't you be my neighbor? I'm excited about these lineups.


***Friday, February 1***
THE MAJORLEANS (Brooklyn, NY)
The band formerly known as Anvil, Crosby & Tennant, expect classic pop harmonies even your parents would love. But so will you. And your pet sugar glider.

THE BRIGHT LIGHTS (Brooklyn, NY)
"The band's sound lies somewhere between early indie pop-punk, and a saccharine sweet twee-pop." -GIRL ABOUT TOWN

THE LAVENDERS (Manhattan, NY)
Pop sensibilities + garageband aesthetic = this bill is going to hold together really well, I think.

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, February 2***

BORN AT SEA (Brooklyn, NY)
"Cello, banjo, vocals, guitar, dust, broken glass, empty flasks, bloody lips and prayers." -$650 APARTMENT FOR $650

DREW NIX (Brooklyn, NY)
Has, according to his website, played with MTV's Jackass. Doesn't sound like what you'd expect from that trivia fact, however, thankfully.

CAREY WALLACE (Brooklyn, NY)
For your Mississippi heart.

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

@ DOMINIE'S HOEK

Vegemite Black-and-Tans

How are you? How is it almost February already? I'm still behind on life.

Last Friday was a totally packed and totally awesome jangle-flute-pop show. Like 20 new people signed up for this mailing list, even. Last Saturday, not so packed, but such good songs, and such good Peter-Nevins-vs-Bushwick-muggers-chase-scene-tales as well. Spread your love a bit. Weekends are long. Kinda. Okay, or not.

Friday, K Records' Karl Blau returns again with a few friends in-tow-- he won't be living in Queens forever (I don't think) so see him while you can! The Creek and the Cave's informative website tells me it is also bartender Vin/Vince/Vinny/Vinsanity's birthday. Buy him a drink. Er, he probably gets those anyway. Give him a big tip, then.

Saturday, talent-attractor and very fine soundman-in-a-pinch Andy Guthrie hosts a jazz night on the LICene. As an added bonus, it is also apparently Australia Day at the Creek and the Cave, which hopefully entails black-and-tans comprised of Foster's and vegemite. As a hybrid, it'd be sweet if someone covered "Waltzing Matilda" or Men at Work on the sax. Or, stumble down the street for some free bluegrass at Dominie's Hoek. I also hear there's a sweet themed party at a semi-known communal loftspace on the northern edge of the nabe to our east. Just sayin'. You've got options, Queens. Oh yeah, the Silent Barn in Ridgewood is probably up to something as well. Also, anyone ever go to this bar in Astoria called Sparrow? I hear it's pretty decent. We're getting there. And not priced-out, or pet spas (yet).


***Friday, January 25***

KARL BLAU (Queens, NY)
"When he's at his best, Blau resembles a prophet scarfing honey in the desert, a John McPhee speaking in tongues, chanting in a whisper from Lord Byron's Vision of Judgment about out-of-tune angels." -PITCHFORK MEDIA

STEBMO (Seattle, WA)
"Grooves, jazz, and outer explorations: It's all on the table . . . a fine fancy feast." -SEATTLE WEEKLY

PURE HORSEHAIR (Brooklyn, NY)
"Both songwriter and voice carry sincerity and a sense of urgency that is missing from most of what I hear today." -4F

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, January 26***

BRIAN SEEGER (Manhattan, NY)

ANDY GUTHRIE (Queens, NY)

SEAN NOWELL (Manhattan, NY)

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, January 26***

VINCENT CROSS (Manhattan, NY)

GOOD COMPANY (not Bad Company)
Can't find a website, but they probably have a song and album of the same name.

Music starts at 9 PM
FREE

@ DOMINIE'S HOEK