Cage at B.B.King’s NYC with Tame One
December 24th, 2009 by planetchocko
Me and Mr. C just made it on time to see Tame One of The Artifacts at the late show in Times Square on December 18. The Newark born emcee took command of the crowd with his complex rhyme patterns and dope, classic style on the microphone. It was so easy to see why this MC from Brick City was so influential to many underground and mainstream rappers. He released an album recently titled “Acid Tab Vocab.” Tame One’s former label mate and partner in crime (Leak Bros!), Cage from NYC headlined the show playing lots of tracks from his latest Def Jux album, “depart from me” which is a dark journey into the life of a troubled adolescent who’s been to hell and back. It is an ambitious album which mixes elements of hardcore punk, industrial rock along with hip hop. After experiencing technical difficulties with the video presentation of his performance right from the get-go, the crowd started with the heckling. Frustrated, Cage gave it right back and even threatened to jump into the crowd and pull a “Kid Cudi” admitting, “I’ve got nothing to lose.” It was just a bluff…no fights broke out. The dude is definitely an adult still haunted by his messed up early years of abuse, addiction, suicide attempts and being institutionalized. Somebody give him a hug! Shia LaBeouf (yup, the actor from the Transformers movies) is supposedly working on a movie about Cage. Leave the kids at home for that one. El-P (El Producto) was in the house. The show rocked and I really liked hearing the new stuff…”beat kids” sounded nice and so did “kick rocks.” Me and Mr. C left around 2:30 a.m. and by then Cage was joined on stage by Tame One and later by his band which included a couple of dudes on guitars, bass and keyboards. Check out the video below of Cage performing “eating its way out of me” from his new album on Definitive Jux titled “depart from me.” Rock on Cage!
-chocko
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“Art of the Samurai:Japanese Arms & Armor 1156-1868 Exhibition” @ the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC
December 21st, 2009 by Planet Chocko
For the avid fans of the Samurai, there is an exhibition called the “Art of the Samurai” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City running until January 10,2010. The exhibit contains a massive exhibit of samurai hardware from the period of 1156-1868. That covers a tremendous time period in history including the warring state years of the late 1500’s in Japan!
So, get in the spirit of the Seven Samurai & Zatoichi and don’t let the chance of seeing the spirit of what these warriors in Japan represented during the fuedal times in the land of the rising sun!
Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Avenue & E 82nd St, Manhattan, New York
Tags: art of samurai, metropolitan museum, new york, samurai
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Bigger Princess and Kate Ferencz at 1087 Brooklyn NYC
December 18th, 2009 by planetchocko
1087 Broadway is an awesome d.i.y. feminist space in Brooklyn that has been throwing some really rad events lately. On December 15, Kate Ferencz and Bigger Princess came back after touring all around the country. ACLU Benefit, a dude with a deep baritone voice and a guitar started the night. He’s a total downer, but he does get the crowd singing along to his songs about beer and weird relationships. The first time I heard him play, I wanted to stab my ears with a pencil, but I think he’s growing on me. Maybe I’ll get his CD next time. Bigger Princess played next. B.P. is basically a tiny, loopy, pixie-like creature named Alana Fitzgerald who plays the guitar and sings about ghosts, wolves and haunted houses. She was accompanied by Kate Ferencz who played the glockenspiel and a homemade tambourine made of an old can, metal and animal bones. Kate is fun to watch…always banging on stuff and making animal sounds during one song was way too funny. There is a Bigger Princess CD out and you can probably pick one up at a show. It’s got lots of great lo-fi, spooky folk songs from an amazingly talented young artist. Kate Ferencz played next and she is a super talented girl who sings punky, lo-fi folk songs while playing her guitar. She is energetic and intense…sometimes singing acapella or banging on a floor or table to provide a beat. She has so many great songs and one of my favorites is “trees for hands” which is about what it must be like to be that Indonesian fisherman with the weird skin disease which makes him look like his hands and feet are made of trees. “Chicken Hearts” is a fun and sensitive song that asks “do you want to have a contest eating chicken hearts…you and me?” Sure, why not…a little honey mustard sauce and I’m game. Kate’s got a really weird video on the internet for her song, “bright flying lightbulb” and a tape out titled, “Natural History Museum.” Alana and her are also working on a tv show called “Knowledge Quest.” They also live in a tree house in a far away land inhabited by gnomes and unicorns. I made that up. Check out their myspace pages for more info.
-chocko
Tags: alana fitzgerald, bigger princess, d.i.y., folk, kate ferencz
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Nick Johnson to the Yankees?!
December 18th, 2009 by Planet Chocko
Heard some rumblings last night that the New York Yankees are close to signing a 1 year deal with their former prospect & Yankee hand, Nick Johnson. I was a big proponent of Nick Johnson when he was coming up through the ranks in the minors with the Yankees playing for the Columbus Clippers, but being injury prone was the major ‘achilles heal’ (no pun intended) of Nick’s career up to this point. Nick really reminded me of Don Mattingly with his style of play both defensively & his batting style. Even Donny baseball made the comment that Nick J has the makings of being a batting champion if he can remain healthy. Johnson also has great baseball chromosomes in his family with his uncle being Larry Bowa. NJ was supposed to be the heir to Tino Martinez but Jason Giambino soon took that role if you can remember or forget, I should say. What Nick presents to the Yankees at this current time is great on base percentage, a familiarity in donning pinstripes, & being a crafty hitter that sprays his hits to all fields. Wouldn’t Johnson make a great 2nd hole hitter behind Jeter? With the on base percentages of Jeter,Johnson, & Nick Swisher, TEX & Arod would have a field day with RBI’s! Nobody can ever replace the man from Japan in the clutch as Matsui, but Nick Johnson sure does make it sound interesting on paper. Now, let’s hope Nick Johnson doesn’t sneeze the wrong way or else, he might crack a few ribs & call it a career!
–pcimprezz
Tags: baseball, larry bowa, new york yankee, nick johnson, one year contract, replace hideki matsui, yankees
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Xian Famous Foods *Grand Opening* in Chinatown,NYC!
December 17th, 2009 by Planet Chocko
Calling all Planet Chocko martians, aliens, & other forms of life that enjoy good cheap ass food! I’m happy to announce that ‘Xian Famous Foods’ is opening up a branch in Manhattan’s Chinatown in NYC @ 88 Forsyth St ! Their grand opening is this Saturday, December 19th! Xian is located on the western part of China in the Shaanxi Province that is home to the famous 8000+ terra cotta soldiers buried near the Mausouleum of the second Ming Emperor. Xian is also famous for their liang pi & hand pulled noodles. Their rendition of the savory cumin lamb burger is also very tasty. The lamb meat is sliced & then sauteed with some jalapenos,onions,& scallions & then gently smothered between a warm crispy bun. Xian also has slight influences of Islam & as a result impart it in some of their cuisine. I am stoked that we, extraterrestrials don’t have to trek all the way to Flushing, Queens @ the Flushing Mall to get our fix! I must admit that Flushing, Queens probably does lay home to the tastiest chinese cuisine destination of all the 5 boros in NYC. Sorry, Manhatty Chinatown…I still got love for ya’ & you definitely have more personality & character, but you’re one ugly MOFO! Hehehee…for all that don’t know, Chinatown-NYC is my heart, a clogged one at that, but still my heart! Check out these MOFO’s & enjoy a good meal! Check out their menu
–pcimprezz
Xian Famous Foods
88 Forsyth St by East Broadway #106
New York, NY 10002
Flushing, NY – Flushing Mall
133-31 39th Avenue #FC10
Flushing, NY 11354
Tags: chinatown, east broadway, flushing mall, hand pulled noodle, lamb burger, liang pi, new york, xian famous food
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Natural Elements at Fat Beats NYC
December 17th, 2009 by planetchocko
Natural Elements (A-Butta, L-Swift and Mr. Voodoo) came through Fat Beats (406 6th Ave. between 8th and 9th Streets in New York City) on Dec. 15 to celebrate the release of “1999: 10 Year Anniversary” an album that should have come out a decade ago. In the mid-nineties A-Butta, L-Swift and Mr. Voodoo formed Natural Elements and represented the New York underground scene with singles such as “bust mine” and “livin’ it up.” With every appearance on radio shows such as “Stretch and Bobbito Show” and every freestyle and mixtape that came out, their fan base increased. Their success got them signed to Tommy Boy Black sub-label where they released the single “2 tons” and recorded what was supposed to be their debut album. That album was never officially released…until now-sort of. The 2009 release is an excellent source for checking out Natural Elements if you’re new to the game, but it clearly is not the debut album from 99, but more of a greatest hits release with a little something for everybody. Their appearance at Fat Beats was crazy. With DJ Eclipse (Halftime Radio Show) on the turntables, Natural Elements ripped through a short set and despite the reunited trio not remembering all their lyrics…the crowd was loving every moment. Check out the video below for their performance of “off beat bop.” If you have never heard of Natural Elements and you are a fan of real hip hop, do yourself a favor and pick up “1999.” Better late than never!
-chocko
Tags: a-butta, in-store, l-swift, live, mr. voodoo, natural elements, show, underground hip hop
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Bess Rogers @ Rockwood Music Hall – NYC 11.28.09
December 16th, 2009 by Planet Chocko
Strong Island’s own, Bess Rogers performed at the Rockwood Music hall in lower manhattan on November 28th, 2009 @ Allison Weiss’s record release party. It was a cause for celebration @ Rockwood Music Hall with 3 really great acts performing including Allison Weiss, Bess Rogers, & Greg Holden. Bess Rogers mesmerized the crowd with her sweet melodic tunes & tantalizing guitar/ukelele play! She belted out pop inspired folk songs with powerful & clear vocals. I wanted to clap my hands & do the E Street shuffle with each of Bess’ performances if I weren’t so busy juggling my captain morgan drink in one hand and playing sniper camera man with the other. By the way, big ups to the waitress for fulfilling everyone’s drink request despite doing the ‘lambada’ with every patron in the room. It was that tight in the joint! Bess played songs including ‘Bulldozer’,’Everything to lose’, & ‘you and me’. We even learned that she was a Def Leppard fan with her cute rendition of ‘Pour some sugar on me’…chicken fried steak style aka country style!
I first heard Bess Rogers play when she was backing up Ingrid Michaelson on guitars & vocals on Ingrid’s tour. Bess & her other ship mate, Allie Moss were great onstage! In fact, the band backing up Ingrid on her tour were also center stage @ Rockwood Music Hall backing up Bess Rogers minus Allie Moss. Chris Kuffner,Dan Romer,Elliot Jacobson, & Bess Rogers melded together nicely like a sinful batch of saltwater taffy at such an intimate setting like the Rockwood! If you get a chance, watch her play live! You won’t be dissapointed! Maybe, she’ll perform another cover of some 80’s band….fried big country style! “I’m hot..sticky sweet..from my head to my feet…yeah!” Check out Bess Roger’s “Travel Back” EP with a new album in the works to be released in the summer. She’s also in another band called “Flux Capacitors” covering tunes from 80’s bands. Back to the future, baby! or should I say blast from the past!
http://www.bessrogers.com/ http://www.myspace.com/bessrogers
–pcimprezz (videos courtesy of pcimprezzive & loopyvids)
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
Tags: allie moss, allison weiss, bess rogers, chris kuffner, dan romer, elliot jacobson, folk, greg holden, ingrid michealson, pop, rockwood music hall
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5 Pointz in Queens, NYC
December 15th, 2009 by planetchocko
5 Pointz located in Long Island City, NYC…the Institute of Higher Burnin.
photos by chocko
Tags: grafffiti street art graff new york city
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Vivian Girls at Death By Audio w/ Yellow Fever and Happy Birthday
December 15th, 2009 by planetchocko
The show at Death By Audio on Dec. 12 was a fuzzed out, lo-fi spectacular with the newly signed to Sub Pop Records, Happy Birthday starting things off. The band features Kyle Thomas (King Tuff), Chris Weisman and Ruth Garbus. You may recognize Kyle from his other bands such as Witch (with J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.) and Feathers (with Ruth). Fun fact: Ruth has a sister named Merrill who is better known as tUnE-YaRdS. The crowd hopped around and showed lots of love and support while the bad previewed lots of upcoming tracks such as “girls fm” and “pink strawberry shake” from their album which won’t be released until March 2010. Yellow Fever played next. This show was their record release party for their brand new self-titled album on the Vivian Girls’ record label, Wild World. Stripped down and quirky songs are what you’ll get from this Austin, TX based band. Jennifer Moore (lead vocals) and Adam Jones (percussion) played lots of songs from the new record which actually is comprised of older songs from previously released EPs and 7″ single. My favorites are “cats and rats” and “psychedelic.” The crowd kicked it up a notch when the Vivian Girls took to the stage and blasted through a reverb-heavy, lo-fi set which included songs from their newest album, “Everything Goes Wrong” and even a Chantels cover of “he’s gone” while being joined by Kyle from Happy Birthday. You gotta love a band whose influences are sixties girl groups, surf and the Ramones. The Vivian Girls have been getting lots of attention lately and it’s all well deserved. I was watching the game show Jeopardy last summer and the Girls were the subject of a question. I don’t remember the question exactly, it was something like “name the borough of New York where the musical group, the Vivian Girls are from” and the answer (in the form of a question) was Brooklyn. Check out some of the videos from the show courtesy of pcimprezzive and loopyvids.
-chocko
Tags: death by audio, happy birthday, sub pop, vivian girls, wild world records, yellow fever
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Paulie “the magic man” Malignaggi vs Juan “the baby bull” Diaz in CHITOWN on 12/12/09
December 13th, 2009 by Planet Chocko
Paulie Malignaggi @ the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao showdown @ Yankee stadium
Planet Brooklyn’s own, Paulie “The Magic man” Malignaggi successfully revenged his JR Welterweight bout (140lbs) against Juan “the baby bull” Diaz in ChiTown on 12/12/09 by unanimous decision. The 1st fight in August between these 2 combatants led to a controversial win going to the Baby Bull. This sequel on 12/12 was well worth the wait as the contrast of styles could not of been any more entertaining. These two pugilist exemplified one style of the nitty gritty-well adapting concrete jungle of NYC, all about speed, clowning, & showboating at it’s finest versus the no non-sense baby bull charge aggression akin to the mexican aztec warrior. Juan Diaz was 35-2(17ko’s) before the fight with his most notable loss to Juan Manuel Marquez & his most recent loss to Madeina, which was stopped because of the severe beating Baby Bull took witnessed by his ballooned face. Paulie Malignaggi was 26-3(5 ko’s) before the fight. Paulie’s losses came by the hands of the Baby Bull, Ricky Hatton, & Miguel Cotto. Despite his losses, the magic man looked very relaxed & confident throughout this fight in ChiTown & his lyrical footwork of freestyle magnifications were the manifestations of a different Paulie at peace with a new trainer. Buddy Mcgirt & the Magic Man departed ways a few fights before, as Paulie believed his real flow in fighting relied on all footwork & speed as opposed to being sly & flat footed. Paulie showed great speed, rhythm, & flow as well as keeping good distance from the bull charger. The Magic Man did try to rumble with the Baby bull a few times but those exchanges were short lived as Diaz usually excelled at that range. Juan Diaz was cut from a blow by the magic man in the 2nd round. Paulie showed glimpses of doing ‘mano y mano’ a few more times, but that strategy was to try & lure Diaz in. Paulie’s confidence seemed steady & streamlined for the whole fight as his footwork, speed, & distance was just too much for the mexican american. Malignaggi even ‘shook’ Diaz with a right cross @ the end of the 6th round, but was unable to finish him because Pauli was too busy showboating & acting silly. Perhaps, Paulie did not know how to ‘finish’ him as that seems to be unchartered grounds coming from a fighter with only 5 KO wins in his history. In round 10, Malignaggi scored a knockdown over Diaz, but after instant replay, the knockdown looked more like a slip & being a “Mr. Magoo” which of course scored a 10-8 round for the Brooklyn magic man. Nevertheless, the win was fairly an easy one for the Magic Man! Who’s next for Paulie? Who knows? The magic man wants revenge against Ricky Hatton or maybe a rumble with Juan Manuel Marquez. Either of these ‘fist a cuff’ warriors, would be real entertaining as Malignaggi seems to always bring his showboating ‘A’ game on stage!
–pcimprezz
The Magic Man @ the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao showdown @ yankee stadium (pics by pcimprezz)
Tags: baby bull, boxing december 12 2009, chicago, jr welterweight, juan diaz, magic man, paul malignaggi, paulie malignaggi
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T-Model Ford at powerHouse Arena 12.10.09
December 12th, 2009 by planetchocko
After waking up from a nap, I checked my twitter account and saw that T-Model Ford was performing in Brooklyn for free. T-Model Ford is an 80-something year old (nobody really knows his real age)quintessential blues musician from Mississippi who got a pacemaker put in about 2 years ago and continues to play. I had not seen Mr. Ford play in years, so I just had to go. I packed my bag with the essentials-cameras and memory cards and drove like I just stole the damn car. From Jersey to BK, not an easy task in the middle of holiday traffic. I got to DUMBO (parking there is a bee-otch!) a couple minutes after 8 pm just in time for T-Model’s set. The man did not disappoint. He played the blues for nearly an hour only to pause to take a swig of the whiskey. When T-Model Ford is in the house…it’s Jack Daniel Time! He got the crowd dancing and booties were definitely shaking. Mr. Ford showed no sign of retiring anytime soon. After his set, I witnessed him hitting on the ladies and wanting to go to their place. Dirty Dawg! The event was also a signing for a book of photos titled “Blues, Booze & BBQ” which coincided with a photo exhibit in the store. To check out this book and so much more, I recommend checking out PowerHouse Arena located at 37 Main Street DUMBO Brooklyn NY. Support indie bookstores and don’t forget to check out T-Model Ford next time he’s in your neck of the woods!
-chocko
Tags: brooklyn, delta blues, fat possum records, free show, t-model ford, the blues
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Municipal Waste at The Gramercy Theatre NYC
December 11th, 2009 by planetchocko
Municipal Waste came to town on December 9 and brought their friends with them on tour: Cauldron, Phobia and Brutal Truth. Opening act, Caludron, a trio from Toronto are the best metal band in the business who rock out like the 80’s never ended. They have the look and sound totally down and their new album, “chained to the nite” belongs right next to your Dokken, Queensryche and Iron Maiden albums. Next up was Phobia who played fast and furious anarchist grind core which got the crowd moving. They’re a great band from California and have been doing their thing for almost 20 years. Once the Phobia tunes got cranking, circle pits immediately started and elbows and fists were flying everywhere. NYC grindcore pioneers, Brutal Truth were next on the lineup playing angry, loud and chaotic music pleasing all metal heads and hardcore punk fans. It’s good to see these guys and their new album “evolution through revolution” is out now. The main event, Municipal Waste, everybody’s favorite thrashers from Richmond, Virginia obliterated while singing songs about beers, post-apocalyptic mutants and headbanging. Circle pits, moshing and stage diving was highly encouraged. It was painful to see the one, overweight lone stage diver jumping from the stage and not quite making it into the crowd. His ribs must be still aching after smashing into the rail. Ouch. It seems that with every album, the Waste’s fanbase grows larger and so do the venues. After Tony Foresta (lead singer) pointed out how funny it was that his band with a song titled, “boner city” was sponsored by Taco Bell, a person from the crowd yelled, “sellout!” Tony fired back and pointed out that their first song they ever made was about trucks and jet skis. “Why do you think we started a band?” Too funny. Being influenced by bands such as DRI, Suicidal Tendencies and Nuclear Assault is still evident in their new album “massive aggressive” so get it now. Jet skis and truck payments ain’t cheap. SET LIST: unleash the bastards, thrashing’s my business…and business is good, divine blasphemer, beer pressure, mental shock, blood drive, accelerated vision, wrong answer, terror shark, masked by delirium, sadistic magician, thrashin’ of the christ, mutants of war, toxic revolution, black ice, i want to kill the president, boner city, acid sentence, born to party, guilty of being tight, mind eraser and headbanger face rip!
-chocko
Tags: brutal truth, cauldron, grindcore, live show, metal, municipal waste, new york city, phobia, punk, thrash
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