Astoria Music & Arts

Journeys of Sonic Discovery: Genesis is Cool, No Really

When I was in high school I must have looked like such a tool, wearing oversized t-shirts with pictures of Frank Zappa on the shitter and talking to everyone who would listen about why New York hardcore and prog rock were the two best genres of music. In retrospect I feel like an ass.

We Need ROCKET FUEL!

  
Astoria Music Now! is almost 2 months away and we really need to get down to business to raise much needed funds to get this puppy off the ground.  Please visit our Rocket Hub page to throw in a couple of bucks for the cause - each donation gets rewarded with a special gift!

And of course, you cannot miss our earth-shattering, mind-altering, universe-bending fundraiser - AMandA in the Garden - next Saturday.  It would be blasphemous in the eyes of the Gods of Rock.

Wretched Reflections with BUDGET CUT BEAR

Every week we're talking with a new discovery from Terrible Tuesday.  This week we're talking with Budget Cut Bear - a man who wears a bear on his head as proudly as he carries the angst in his soul.   

Astoria's Got Talent (?)

Astoria seems to have a penchant for hosting ill-conceived attempts at gaining notoriety for its burgeoning cultural scene in the form of live competitions that adopt the format of televised reality show competitions.  Almost always a 'celebrity' panel of judges is employed and in the worst-case scenarios these judges render their opinions while the contestant is still on stage in a manner that would make Simon Cowell proud (or cringe - depending on how much credit we want to give Simon Cowell).

Over the next couple of weeks we'll see two very different establishments put their spin on the form when The Sparrow Tavern hosts the first installment of The Sparrow Music Project and Waltz Astoria hosts its second Ultimate Singer/Songwriter Competition.  Stay tuned for more coverage - this promises to be, at the very least, rather entertaining...

Your Week With AM&A

Welcome to May, as in, MAY we ROCK YOU? (you laugh now!)

Tuesday, May 4th: Terrible Tuesday! Sign up for NYC's finest Tuesday-based open mic at 8pm; stage opens at 9pm. Hosted by David "Prime Mover" Guevara.  This week EKRA opens up at 8.30 (remember our terrible tuesday discovery from last week?). Couldn't be more excited...
@ Shillelagh Tavern
 
Friday, May 7th: Rock Goddyssey. Come see the local stars and the photos that shall make them famous, taken by photography Gods Will helms and Christo Casey. And take a trip down memory lane, to when America was strong and the Nazis were on the run, as The Good Johnsons bring you music of the 1940s, fronted by our little angel, Lorrie Doriza... also featuring Face (crazy avant jazz with a beat) and the one, the only, The Little Creatures!
@ Hellgate Social (12-21 Astoria Blvd.), starts at 8:30pm.

Journeys of Sonic Discovery: Ry Cooder is Super Terrific

Often when I was a little kid I would listen to albums with my dad. Once he played a copy of Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music and explained that Cooder was great because he mastered so many different styles of traditional American music, and was able to arrange them for a listening public who would otherwise never had heard any of it. He also allowed the music to retain its integrity. At the time I thought C&C Music Factory was the best thing on the planet, so I didn’t give two shits. But in my older and wiser years I have come to love Ry Cooder’s work. The guy is incredible.