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

Cuddlecore

Pop show 2nite, Acousticy show 2morrow:




***Friday, January 18***
SUREFIRE BROADCAST (Hammonton, NJ)
"Mostly noisy indiepop, in the vein of, well, all of my favorite bands." -SKATTERBRAIN

THE BRIDESMAIDS (Brooklyn, NY)
"For fans who want their well-worn favorites filtered through an unconventional modern lens, the Bridesmaids deliver both." -VENUS ZINE

SCARY MONSTER (Philadelphia, PA)
Jangly indiepop band featuring ex-members of Missing Piece, The Low Tones, Snow Fairies, The Parcels and That's Ms. Werewolf to You.

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, January 19***

THE BOY BATHING (Manhattan, NY)
"Think precious acoustic-sounding indie lullabies ("Cuddlecore," they say on their myspace, which sounds ominous but is kinda misleading), but so wordy that the lyrics start to avalanche in a way that's kind of sweet and romantic." -THE L MAGAZINE

PETER NEVINS (Manhattan, NY)
My own guess is that if you taught a very impressionable 17th. century troubadour all about Syd Barrett, Donovan, Stephin Merritt, and the Lower East Side as it is today, he would most likely end up sounding something like this inimitable man.

DIBS (Brooklyn, NY)
"Jonathan Richman meets Beat Happening. Daniel Johnston punches Stephin Merritt. Anyway you compare him, Dibs is his own weirdo. "

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE

"Huge Stains of What I Hope is Only Water Mar the Walls of 21st Street."

Over the years, innumerable articles, blogs and forums have referred to the G train as the stepchild of the subway system. But that’s not quite right — it’s not the stepchild, it’s more like that unwanted drunk uncle everyone has. It’s embarrassing and awkward and doesn’t quite behave like it’s supposed to, but you keep it around because, well, it’s family.

-The New York Times

Jeez, It's Almost 2009 Already.

Still haven't dug-out from the holidays?

Me either.

Live music still seems to sneak up on us anyway, though.

You can't fight it. Just give in.

I know it's wet. Just pretend you are in Portland. The music is as good and the drinks are almost as affordable.

Two good shows this weekend in LIC QNS NYC:




***Friday, January 11***

ALDENBARTON (Queens, NY)
The Creek's #1 soundman Drew's great keyboard-fronted pop band!

BRIDGES AND POWERLINES (Manhattan, NY)
"New York power pop band Bridges and Powerlines makes a strong
impression on its debut release... 4 stars." - All Music Guide"

MOLLY-JEAN (Detroit, MI)
"She exudes an intoxicating mix of emotions, with her delivery seeming both shy and earnest at the same time." -Motor City Rocks

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE


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***Saturday, January 12***

AFUCHE (Brooklyn, NY)
"Remarkably fresh." -Comfort Comes

AMO JOY! (Indianapolis, IN)
"...kazoos, toy pianos, and bells. With all of this, they are very fun to just watch." -SNH

JUMPING FLEA CIRCUS (Manhattan, NY)
Friggin' adorable girl-uke.

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE

Actually

Brooklyn Vegan says you should really, really go to this show tonight.

Get there early.

Brooklyn Vegan Says:

Go see either Amy Fisher or Fred Thomas tonight.

EXCLAMAT!ON PO!NTS!

1. Happy New Year!


2. Happy album-release to Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me, Flashpapr, Lovesick) for his new record Flood, out now on Magic Marker Records! I've been listening to it a lot! It's as good as anything he's ever done! I kid not! You, too, should pick up a copy and hear the songs live this Friday in LIC, QNS, NYC! It's a perfect winter album! The tone of this paragraph is a pretty inappropriate one, really! You'll more likely cry than yell from listening to it! But that's not a bad thing!



Download "Last One" from Flood


3. Happy birthday to me! Any claims to still being in my "mid-twenties" will become even more tenuous as of Friday! Come help me become super-mature (for once)! It can't be that bad! My mom and sister might even be there! Awkward!


4. Creaky Boards returns to the Creek! Remember how much fun their last show was there?! I think their main man Andrew said it was one of the best shows they ever played in NYC! Re-live the magic!





6. Perennial LIC faves The Beets bring their indefatigable catchiness back again! Ray-Bans, indoors, at night, in January?!




7. Special guest Kevin Eder will be joining us all the way from the Lake Superior shores of Michigan's Upper Peninsula! He may be working the door! Say hello; he's nice and puts on enormous shows in the most isolated reaches of the Upper Midwest!


8. I hope to see you there!


So excited! Just can't hide it!
B!Z!



***Friday, January 4***

FRED THOMAS (Brooklyn, NY) (Album-release show!)
I could insert some quotation from Pitchfork or a physical magazine or one of the big music blogs to convince you he is Approved by The Powers That Be, but I won't. I am just going to say that Fred Thomas possibly my favorite songwriter in the whole world. You should come and see/hear for yourself, and buy his new album if it makes you feel human again. !

CREAKY BOARDS (Brooklyn, NY)
"A lot of bands can't handle comparisons to bands like the Beach Boys, but Creaky Boards actually seem to embrace it, having fun with their multi-part harmonies and the playfulness behind all of their songs." -Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

THE BEETS (Queens, NY)
"...it's certainly pretty simple, direct stuff, but theirs is a sound that, for the moment, requires no embellishment to be purely enjoyable." -Impose Magazine

Music starts at 9 PM
$5

@ THE CREEK AND THE CAVE