Today’s “Fab 6″+1 / Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, JULY 08, 2014
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “9 Notable NYCity Events-July”, and also “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above. =========================================================================
Mandolin Orange
“Despite having a sort of silly pun name, the duo make pretty serious music. It’s unpolished, old timey stuff in the folk, country and bluegrass traditions, and they’re often making the kind of sad, down-on-my-luck country rather than the rowdy, cheerful kind. Their most recent album is 2013’s This Side of Jordan, which is their third since their 2010 debut.” (Brooklyn Vegan)
This is part of the 6th Annual Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival, an after-work Backyard Party held every Tuesday from June 3rd through August 26th, in the back parking lot behind City Winery.
City Winery, 155 Varick St, Tribeca (btw Vandam/Spring St. – #1 to Houston).
from 5PM-7:30PM / FREE
212-608-0555 / citywinery.com
Midsummer Night Swing: (the festival continues through July 12.)
Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks: Boardwalk Empire
with special guests Margot B. and Stephen DeRosa
Dance Instructor: Roddy Caravella teaches Charleston`
Get dolled up in your fedora and spats for a swanky shot of Prohibition-era big band with those dynamic music men in black tie. Stomps and struts will face off with steamy ballads and blues for a night of speakeasy-style early jazz culled from his Grammy-winning Boardwalk Empire soundtracks, joined by guest vocalists Margot B. and Stephen DeRosa, who have recurring roles on the HBO series.
Prizes for the best dressed in their Roaring ’20s finest.
Damrosch Park, West 62nd St. (btw Columbus and Amsterdam Ave)
(212) 875-5766
at 6:30 pm / FREE
Brazilian Music w/ Irene Walsh, Richard Miller, Sergio Krakowski
Ms. Walsh will be singing samba with Richard Miller on 7-string guitar and Sergio Krakowski on pandeiro. This will be the first time Richard and Ms. Walsh perform together, and she’ll be singing all night (not just one set). Richard and Sergio are both master artists from Rio de Janeiro, and this should be a gorgeous repertoire.
Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St., just S of BleeckerSt./7th Ave.S intersection
@ 7-10 pm / Never a Cover
1 (212) 691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com
subway: #1 to Christopher St./Sheridan Sq.
A Song Cave Reunion at Bryant Park
From near and far, Song Cave poets are headed to NYC to read just for you.
Word for Word Poetry at Bryant Park welcomes The Song Cave!
Come hear:
Todd Colby
Jane Gregory
Nate Klug
Sara Nicholson
The Bryant Park Reading Room, 1065 Avenue of the Americas,
42nd Street Side of the Park between 5th and 6th Avenues,
at 7:00pm-8:30pm / FREE
212-768-4242 / http://www.the-song-cave.com
SummerStage: Andrew Bird / Luke Temple
“Bird was four when he first played the violin, and he spent a decade learning classical music before branching out into folk, jazz, and the blues. By the time he became a recording artist, in the late nineties, he was arguably overqualified for the job. His work has ranged from straightforward folk to zydeco-influenced rock to music that increasingly makes use of whistling. He has also scored films and collaborated on a sound installation at the Guggenheim.
If Bird ended up in the art world, Temple started in it. He was first a portrait painter, and throughout his twenties he focussed on visual arts. He slowly developed a second career in music, and in 2009 he enjoyed something of a breakthrough as a founding member of Here We Go Magic, a group that combined traditional songwriting with electronic accents. The group released “A Different Ship,” produced by Nigel Godrich, in 2012. Temple’s latest solo album, “Good Mood Fool,” came out a year later.” (NewYorker)
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, mid-Park at 69th St.
At 7PM / FREE
summerstage.org
BROADWAY BALLYHOO!
Scott Siegel’s critically acclaimed Broadway Ballyhoo, which regularly features great Broadway and nightclub stars in New York City, plays this summer at 54 Below.
This ever-changing musical variety show, in its third year of performances, will light up 54 Below this summer with all-star casts. For this second show in its new home, Scott Siegel, best known as the creator/writer/host of Town Hall’s signature series, Broadway by the Year (in its 14th season), welcomes to the stage Jill Paice (Matilda), Mark Nadler, Carol Demas (Grease), Farah Alvin (Grease, Saturday Night Fever), Camille Saviola (Chicago), Bob Stillman (Act One, Grey Gardens), Marya Coburn, and Maxine Linehan. This show will have a 15 minute intermission.
54 Below, 254 W 54th St., btw Broadway and Eighth Ave
at 9:30pm / $25–$35, plus $25 food or drink minimum
(646) 476-3551 / 866-468-7619 / 54below.com
Elsewhere, but worth a detour:
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
“Led by Mr. Argue, a composer with roughly equal investment in the currency of big band jazz, post-minimalism and atmospheric indie-rock, the Secret Society has emerged as one of the signature large ensembles of our age. The group plays some new music here, along with pieces from its two ambitious albums, notably “Brooklyn Babylon,” released last year.” (Chinen-NYT)
Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th St.
212-576-2232, jazzstandard.net;
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. / $20.
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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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A PremierPub – Upper West Side
Dinosaur / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.
Walk only five minutes from the 125th st. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.
No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip to Harlem totally worthwhile.
This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in an old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of all those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.
Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.
The Mississippi blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long. The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.
Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some humongous waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.
A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table, underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Hwy, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner.
Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: M-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:00pm
Subway: #1 to 125th st
Walk 2 blk W on 125th to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 