The Defibulators

Hi folks!! Haven't updated in months, but I saw this band at Union Hall last night and needed to share.

The Defibulators - "Say Say Say" from BoB Coon on Vimeo.

Beautiful acoustic sessions and even harder, foot-stopping fun in person.

<3

Off to Austin & SxSW

On my last day in NYC before heading to Austin, I was sent the following video, which reminds me of how tiny we all are in this huge city.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

It's beautiful and amusing, with all of its tilt-shift fun. Reminds me of a Richard Scary Book, where you get to look into a factory of how bread is made :)

I love this city and continually get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of me whenever I think of Brooklyn and my home, but I'm excited to get away for a few days.

I mean, it's SxSW! Who wouldn't be excited?! :)

Brooklyn Flea - One Hanson Place

The Brooklyn Fleas has moved for the next 14 weekends to One Hanson Place, just around the corner from BAM and across from the Atlantic LIRR terminal. It's gorgeous!! And as always, there is plenty to buy and plenty to eat.

Crab claws, creepy broken babies...

... and flannel for all!
More on Flickr
All photos credited to The Tyranny Of Ducks.

[video] 50 People, One Question: "PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God"

I love these videos so much. Based in Brooklyn. Such simple insight into the human mind. The video is produced in tandem with PostSecret, which is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

"What is your secret?"

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Frank Warren on Vimeo.

Brooklyn Vegan 2009 CMJ Showcase @ MHoW

Laura Marling



The Antlers

Fanfarlo

Quick update! I managed to fit in the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ show last week before rushing off to Maine (for sudden family stuff) and boy, I wasn't disappointed! Laura Marling, followed by the Antlers, followed by Fanfarlo, who are just amazing live. Below are 2 videos I grabbed during the event (available in HD on youtube) and as you can see, I have a new camera! It's lovely and I plan on using more often, so please check back for more frequent updates than before. For more photos, check out my Flickr account to the right.

FANFARLO, THE ANTLERS, LAURA MARLING @ Brooklyn Vegan CMJ Fest

EXCITEMENT!


FANFARLO

THE ANTLERS

LAURA MARLING

Get your ticket now. CMJ is back!!

[video] The Antlers: Two

I haven't really been moved by a band like I have with The Antlers in a long while. I saw them open for Here We Go Magic earlier this year at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and it was a pretty incredible experience, though I never appreciated their music as much as I do now after their release of Hospice, their first full length album.

Everyone is raving, and it's not hard to see why. Below is their lovely video of Two, an animated interpretation of music's ability to flow out from instruments and vocal chords, and then fill us (overcome us) in the space we inhabit. brightening our day.

Hooves on the Dirt: Motel Motel's Super Secret Garden

Secret Garden Series: Motel Motel from hoovesontheturf on Vimeo.

Hi-definition, black and white, Motel Motel; swoon. Raw, unfiltered music like this is so deliriously satisfying!

See the rest of the Secret Garden Series here. Previously freatures: Tallest Man on Earth, Olof Arnalds and Middle Distance Runner (a band, not the song by Sea Wolf).

St Vincet @ the Bell House (Hiatus Continues)

Annie Clark @ the Bell House in Brooklyn. Photo by Elizabeth Fraser Photography

Hey folks. Sorry for the absence, as always, but I guess sometimes life gets in the way :) Anywho, wanted to share some images from St. Vincent @ the Bell House in Brooklyn! It was a pretty rad night. I'm so glad Annie added the extra show! Click here for more photos @ Flickr.

BARACKLYN FEVER!

Presidential look-alike Randall West. ((AP Photo/Mary Altaffer))

I know it's not really him, but I just HEART this photo haha. The Brooklyn minor league team The Cyclones hosted a Obama Bobble Head night yesterday, and amazingness ensured. See the full story here at Gothamist!

Brooklyn Half Marathon (Official Map!)

Hey fellow runners,

NYRRs have finally posted an official map for the Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 30th! I'm getting really excited. See you there!

Color Me Katie : Shadow Art

Have you ever wondered if you shadow has been playing tricks on you while your back is turned?

The adorable freelance photographer, Katie Sokoler explored this lovely little issue over at her blog, Color Me Katie, and reveals how she created this fun and entertaining art. Remember those thought bubbles popping up all over Brooklyn a few months ago?



Yup, that was Katie, too! I adore this lady, and how she tries to brighten every single day she lives in, and how my borough of Brooklyn is now even more interesting than it was before :) What's her next project? Who knows, she seems to have a new one everyday!

Brooklyn Half Marathon Course Announced

After months of sketchiness surrounding the date, time and location for this years race, the route for the NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon (May 30th, 7:30am) has finally been announced today! But, of course the NYRR couldn't just give us a simple map or directions, but rather needed to throw another puzzle into the mix by posting the following directions for the route:

Start: On Wellhouse Drive in Prospect Park. Course: Two full loops of Prospect Park, exiting West Drive onto Prospect Park Southwest to Park Circle; Ft Hamilton Parkway to North Bound Lane of Ocean Parkway travelling south onto Surf Avenue ( East Bound Lane); left turn onto West 2nd entrance ramp onto boardwalk (near handball courts); turn right (west) on boardwalk. Finish: On boardwalk behind Keyspan Field.

So, really, the only thing that messed me up what the "start at Wellhouse Drive" part which is in the middle of the freakin' park, so how do you accurately make two loops of the park after that, only the exit to Park Circle?! I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details, but I DID make this map of what I believe the course will look like (give or take). Enjoy, and I hope I see you there!

Time Out NY 2009 Eat Out Awards (Brooklyn Style)

Nightfall Between Bridges, Brooklyn, NY by Grunik, through the Creative Commons License on Flickr.

Time Out NY has announced their 2009 Eat Out awards, and I've narrowed it down to just our friendly Brooklyn borough! There are some interesting, new and eclectic places to check out, hopefully in your very own 'hood!

READERS' CHOICE

Best Coffee - Cafe Grumpy (Greenpoint) (excitement!!)
193 Meserole Ave at Diamond St (718-349-7623)

Best Addition to an Underserved Hood - Vinegar Hill House (Vinegar Hill/DUMBO)
72 Hudson Ave between Front and Water Sts (718-522-1018)

Best New Brooklyn Restaurant -Buttermilk Channel (Carroll Gardens)
524 Court St at Huntington St (718-852-8490)

Best New Ice Cream - Blue Marble (Boerum Hill / Prospect Heights)
420 Atlantic Ave between Bond and Nevins Sts (718-858-1100); 186 Underhill Ave between St. Johns and Sterling Pls (718-399-6926)

Best New 'Hood Joint - The General Greens (Fort Greene)
229 DeKalb Ave at Clermont Ave (718-222-1510)

Best New Cocktail Lounge - Clover Club (Cobble Hill)
210 Smith St between Baltic and Butler Sts (718-855-7939)

CRITICS' CHOICE

Best Place to Cultivate a Beer Belly - Beer Table (Park Slope)
427B Seventh Ave between 14th and 15th Sts (718-965-1196)

Best Case Against Cupcake Backlash - Sweet Revenge (Williamsburg)
62 Carmine St between Seventh Ave South and Bedford St (212-242-2240)

Best New Artisan Pie - Montorino (Williamsburg)
319 Graham Ave between Ainslie and Devoe Sts (718-599-8899)

Most Welcomed Gentrifier - James (Prospect Heights)
605 Carlton Ave at St. Marks Ave, (718-942-4255)

Best Unlikely Marriage - No 7 (Fort Greene)
7 Greene Ave between Cumberland and Fulton Sts (718-522-6370)

Best Reason to Declare Love for BBQ - Char No 4 (Cobble Hill)
196 Smith St between Baltic and Warren Sts (718-643-2106)

Best Nouveau Chophouse - Walter Foods (Williamsburg)
253 Grand St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St (718-387-8783)

Best Bar for a Gin Blossom - Sycamore (Ditmas Park)
1118 Cortelyou Rd between Stratford and Westminster Rds (347-240-5850)

Best New Dumplings - Eton (Carroll Gardens)
205 Sackett St at Henry St (718-222-2999)

Best Comeback of a Vanishing Trade - Marlow & Daughters (Williamsburg)
95 Broadway between Bedford Ave and Berry St (718-388-5700)

All restaurants can be found here on TimeOutNY.com .

Happy eatings! I know I will.

What's Lizzie Linking to? (Brooklyn, Mostly)

CFCF - You Hear Colours from tommy boy on Vimeo.

** Please, check out I Guess I'm Floating's coverage of SxSW (and their blog in general). It's lovely.
*The free IKEA bus in Red Hook was slapped with 50 safety violations today.
*Check out Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases for this week, highlighting the Decemberists.
* Ever wanted to make authentic, NYC bagels in your own home? BushwickBK tells you how!
* If you want to know what kind of people make up NYC, check out the 1 in 8 million beautiful photo slideshows at NYtimes.com. This is what beauty looks like.
* Lola is back (!) at Stuff Hipsters Don't Like, and is now writing for FreeWilliamsburg!

What's Lizzie Linking To

Photo by Elizabeth Fraser Photography, credited to The Tyranny of Ducks.

** Prince is releasing his newest song through Target. What?! (BrooklynVegan)
* After the lovely show at Sound Fix on Saturday, it may not close after all! (Gothamist)
* Loved Garfield comics as a child? You might find these a bit more disturbing (Garfield Minus Garfield)
* Bushwick has an arsenal of abandoned TVs on its streets! (BushwickBK)
* DUMBO now has a Recycle-A-Bicycle store.
* Love and Style: Christine Norrie on Romance and NYC (NYC Graphic)

Marissa Nadler @ Sound Fix (Brooklyn, NY)

Marissa Nadler @ InStore space in Sound Fix. Picture by Elizabeth Fraser Photography, credited to The Tyranny of Ducks.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting when I went to go see Marissa Nadler play the final In-Store show at Sound Fix last night, but I was definitely surprised with what I got. First of all, since this was a kind of "end of the era" show for the once thriving record store, I expected the house to be packed. Add Marissa Nadler, and I expected there to be a decent line out the door. Add the fact that the show was FREE, and I thought there was no chance in hell we'd get in. Well, not ONE of my premenitions came true, because when my friends and I showed up "late" (about only 5 minutes early for the show), we simply and easily walked back into the performance space, and staked out a decent spot 6 heads into the crowd. True, we could have gotten a nice seated spot if we had come earlier, but we were in no way complaining. There were perhaps 5 dozen people in the space by the time Marissa Nadler took the stage, and not many more showed up after that.

For Marissa's performance, I have this to say: grim's fairytale. Standing and listening to Marissa Nadler playing live for 50 minutes made me feel like I was slipping slowly and deeply into a twisted fairytale, that wished to lure me in with comfort, but would eventually snag my heart if I let myself go too far down. Her voice was beautiful (though wavered a few times) and the simplicity of a duo of guitars really let the etherealness wash over the beautiful InStore space and everyone who had come out to see her. My only complaint is I think 50 minutes of her type of music is perhaps a little too much (for me, at least). My friend who had never even heard Marissa Nadler's music before last night, said," You know, one up beat song occassionally wouldn't hurt her" and I had to agree. It's very enticing to be trapped in Marissa's grim fairytale (just let it take you down, lose yourself in the twisted tales) but if you shake off that feeling, and simply sit with the music for awhile, it can become a bit too much. Marissa closed with a lovely, lovely banjo melody, which I adored and pulled me back in to nicely close things off, but in the end, it was a little too late to make me love the whole set. Odd, no one asked for more from her when she was over. We clapped and a few whistled, but I sensed a collective feeling of, "That's enough!"

Overall, it was a decent show and I enjoyed it. I can't believe this space is closing down (and how small the crowd was last night). It's a sad, sad thing, especially with such a unique space and all of those lovely LPs hanging around the store. After the show (and a PBR or two), my friends and I shuffled through the CDs and LPs, and I felt like I was back in high school and Waterloo in Austin, looking for my next, new inspiration of great music. I should go to record store more often.

Quack.

What's Lizzie Seeing: Saturday (Feb 28th)

There's a bunch of amazing music going on tonight, but here are my top picks:

**Marissa Nadler : Instore @ Sound Fix
Only Marissa could make me miss a Motel Motel show. I'll be there with bells on!
* Phosphorescent CD Release w/ MOTEL MOTEL and Mike Bones @ The Bell House
* The Depreciation Guild @ the Mercury Lounge

Enjoy the last day of February!

Yeasayer (Take-Away Show)

La Blogotheque has once again made me a very happy music lover :) I'd say one of the top 3 or 4 Take-Away Show ever!


Take Away Show #87 _ Yeasayer (full version) from temporary areas on Vimeo.

Want more info on Yeasayer?

* Brooklyn Vegan review of their show @ MHoW on Feb 14th (w/ many pictures) [the most recent show they have played].
* Myspace
* Website

What's Lizzie Linking to?

Drive Thru (in Bushwick), created by D. Billy.

* The Brooklyn stoop drinking case from Sept 2008 was stalled due to Judge Jerome Kay believing that his long-time residency in Brooklyn would cause him to be bias to the case (pro or con, he did not say). [Gothamist]
* North Brooklyn's industrial heritage through old train tracks. [BushwickBK]
* Mike Lupica says A-Rod did in fact give us the truth about his steroid use in his public apology yesterday, but it was still just A-ROD's version of the truth. (That's right, I'm a Yankee's fan.) [NY Daily News]
* "Fucking shit," he realized. "I live in the new McKibben Lofts." A story of Bushwick. [My Memoirs]
* NYC Graphics interviews Al Jaffe, Mad Magazine's veteran Fold-In artist.
* The WHOLE LIVE WAVES SHOW, from Market Hotel! [NY Taper]
* Go see Hunger, a riveting look at the IRA hunger strike. [Film Details]
* I will not miss the next Chili Takedown @ Union Pool (last one was Sunday). [FreeWilliamsburg]

Music Suggestions:
The Low Anthem (American/Folk/Indie), The Happiness Project (interview segments, looped, and set to music by Charles Spearin), Laura Marling (Alternative/ Folk)