As we prepare to dim the lights at The Local–until the morning of January 2, 2013, news willing–here are a few more ideas for painting the neighborhood red.
In the world of noise, Blonde Redhead plans to a thunderous New Year’s Eve at Irving Plaza. The Punch Brothers have taken over Patti Smith’s regular New Year’s Eve spot at the Bowery Ballroom. They sold out in advance, just like she always did.
If you insist on making a complete night of it, here are the bars licensed to stay open for the duration. At higher cost, party through until dawn at Webster Hall’s New Year’s Eve Ball.
Soothe sore heads at the Poetry Project’s 39th Annual Marathon Reading on New Year’s day. Or celebrate in vintage style, of course, at Merchant’s House Museum, which invites you to pay New Year’s calls just like 1850–after holiday punch and some canapés.
Annie FairmanSteve Torres with family, after winning a bicycle in a “Gangnam Style” danceoff
Last Saturday got off to an early start at the Ninth Precinct.
At 2:30am, police were called to Beth Israel Hospital after an 18 year-old man entered the emergency room claiming to have been shot in the hand in Campos Plaza. When the building’s management, as well as Ninth Precinct officers posted to the NYCHA property that evening, disputed the account, the man admitted to having been shot accidentally in FDR Park when handed the gun by a friend. The young man, who lives on East 13th Street but is not a resident of Campos Plaza, was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon.
Annie FairmanJaylynn, 9 and Santa
In the meantime, organizers of the Ninth Precinct’s Annual Christmas Party Giveaway arrived as early as 4am to set up for the event. Local families began lining up in the early morning hours for the chance to receive a gift from none other than Santa Claus himself, on loan from Macy’s.
Three and a half year-old Alicia Pagan waited in line with her mother, Teresa Mojica, for nearly two and a half hours to see Santa, who gave her a doll. Members of the NYPD Explorers youth program served hot cocoa to families as they waited on a line wrapping around the playground across the street and extending down to the corner of East Fifth Street and Second Avenue. Read more…
Soon after 90s post-hardcore band Quicksand took the stage Friday night for its first hometown show in about 15 years, a half-dozen beers had flown into the air. Bowery Ballroom had never felt so full: virtually the entire audience consisted of men in their 30s and 40s, weighing over 200 pounds.
The mix of metalheads and current and former hardcore guys might have looked like a recipe for the sort of beef that erupted between current and former members of the Cro-Mags at the CBGB Festival last month. But the opening bass notes of “Omission” brought on 90 minutes of rapture. From the balcony to the mosh pit, the entire ballroom pulsed and popped as fans yelled and sang along, arms in the air. They were celebrating the return of a band that broke up in its prime in the late 90s, after touring with acts like Helmet and Rage Against the Machine but never achieving similar breakout success.
After a surprise reunion last month in California, Quicksand had announced two shows: one at Bowery Ballroom and another the next night at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both sold out in minutes. Rumors of a full reunion came after an appearance on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” this week. Read more…
Singer-songwriter and Nashville native Justin Townes Earle may be a country boy at heart, but his new album, Harlem River Blues, which was released earlier this week, celebrates the neighborhood he lives in now: the East Village. Before recording Harlem River Blues this summer, his tour brought him home, where he and his band performed at the Bowery Ballroom. Here are some shots that The Local was able to snag during that show.
The Local was a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It was operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards. Read more »
Michael Natale
