The international nightclub and bar show ran in Las Vegas last week, bringing a bunch of nightclub, bar, tavern, pub, restaurant, and hotel professionals to the city, including my friends at Biba.

Dave must be faking his shock at the free shots, music, and dancing girls filling the hall “all at noon on a Tuesday!” I’m not at all involved in the business, but I think I need to go next year.

Harry Shearer and Judith Owen are performing their holiday sing-a-long at the concert hall at the Society for Ethical Culture in NYC with guests TMBG and others. It’s a go on Friday, but why can’t these things happen closer to me? Actually, maybe they should all come to Warren afterwards.

Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, holiday sing-a-long, holiday sing along, show, performance, tmbg, they might be giants

Today’s terms
tags: , concert, music, political criticism, politics, show, the sun, they might be giants, tmbg
echo through pine walls
stretch sun along desire’s coast

They Might Be Giants, playing at Mohegan Sun, drew roars of approval from the crowd when John Flansburgh went off-lyric sheet during The Sun (which they amusingly described as part of their Venue Songs series):

…The heat and light of the sun are caused by nuclear reactions between a failed foreign policy, a failed domestic policy, and a failed presidency…

I’ve not known TMBG to be at all political, just smart. But then, the past six years have awoken a lot of people to outrage. Take note of Call Connected Thru The NSA, a free download from the They Might Be Giants music store.

Don’t forget: TMBG as a podcast. This show is said to be released as a later episode of the podcast.

concert, music, political criticism, politics, show, The Sun, They Might Be Giants, tmbg

Ben Apfelbaum died before having the chance to see it all come together, but his quirky idea seems to be a hit. Here’s how Jerry Cullum described it for the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

“The Ben Show” was the brainchild of beloved Spruill Gallery director Ben Apfelbaum, who asked one day, “What’s in a name?” and proceeded to track down a host of artists named “Ben.”

Well, actually, he asked, “Is the use of a given name as a thematic device as useful as any other thematic device to create an art exhibition of interest?”

Photographer and friend Troy Bennett stands among fellow artists Ben Boutin, Benita Carr, Ben Smith, Candice Bennett, Ben Wilson, Ben Fain, Marianne Weinberg-Benson, Lloyd Benjamin and Ben Apfelbaum (a different Ben Apfelbaum), and others. Jerry Cullum’s coverage of the opening mentioned Troy’s work — selections from his “Above and Below” series (image above):

His color photos look like bodies turning into flame, as in a mystical Bill Viola video. They’re actually unmanipulated images of a swimmer and an underwater pool light.

Find it at the Spruill Gallery, Atlanta.

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Steve Wynn could probably have had any show he wanted, but he chose Avenue Q, the Sesame Street and Muppets-inspired show that has to include a disclaimer denying its roots in the program and advertising. What the show’s creators don’t have to disclaim are the three Tony Awards the show won in 2004 for best score, best book, and best musical.

Sandee bought the cast recording (also at Amazon) because they’re the sort of tunes that get into your head…the sort of tunes you’ll find yourself humming days later. But that’s what you expect of a good musical — especially a hilariously funny one.

Above is Sandee with Kate Monster, the kindergarden teacher who dreams of opening a school for monsters. I believe the performer at left is the understudy, but I’ve lost the program and can’t begin to remember her name. Sorry.

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I’ve been sitting on this story since October, hoping I’d be able to get to the show, but It’s increasingly clear that I’m not getting to NYC for a while. So, anyway…

MoMA is showing SAFE: Design Takes On Risk

Wired Magazine described it:

Just in time for the wave of catastrophes plaguing our fragile planet, some top designers unveil a series of aesthetically pleasing objects that could be handy in dangerous situations, from the banal to the apocalyptic.

[...]

The 303 pieces in SAFE cover six categories: shelter, armor, property, everyday, emergency and awareness. Some protect us from the trivial danger of embarrassment (Otohime, which muffles bathroom noises with the electronically generated sound of a toilet flushing), while others could help us survive a shipwreck in stormy seas (a Sea Shelter life raft with a step below the surface of the water that makes it easier to clamber aboard).

[...]

Not every exhibit item is a lifesaver. The miniature frog respirator and prairie dog work gloves in the Safety Gear for Small Animals exhibit are presumably meant to deliver more metaphorical impact than practical benefit. Such displays of whimsy help lighten the mood at what could have been a horror show of our darkest fears.

I’m consoling myself with the online exhibition, but wishing I lived a little closer to New York.

(Via Gizmodo)

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I can’t really pass as an undergrad anymore, but they still let me in to Friday Night Rock to see The Mountain Goats.

MP3s: This Year Commandante Going to Bridlington

tags: dartmouth college, friday night rock, goats, john darnielle, lo-fi, mountain goats, mp3s, music, show, undergrad