Above pic via thecobrasnake

Here’s a track to get you hype for the weekend. Smooth enough to put on in the afternoon as you watch the second hand tick ever so slowly, but it also has enough disco kick that you can carry it over into your early and/or late night partying. Be sure to check out DFAers Holy Ghost! at one of their upcoming shows in New York, Boston, Miami, or Toronto.

[MP3]: Holy Ghost!  ”Hold On”
Single, DFA; 2007

For some Friday laughs, head over to two.one.five magazine for their “All Time Worst Celebrity Drunks” feature. Seriously, it’s hilarious and will waste a good chunk of your day, the Orson Welles thing had me rolling.

I came across this at Retro Thing. It’s hard to believe Dr. Pepper actually promoted this. The ad is from the 60s and I’m guessing it never caught on cause who wants a hot cup of sugared soda?! Anyone ever tried it?

is it just me, or has nightlife in manhattan slowly degenerated into a party mecca for the top 40 craving congregations? i won’t bore you with a prolonged rant on the issue, but the good old days at misshapes and sweet paradise (which was just a month ago) have come and gone. so as posers and bankers spilled over from the meatpacking to the corners of the island, a few of us ventured out to greenpoint, bk for a night of free-spirited, though heavily spirit-fueled, revelry at studio b. put on your dancing shoes and join the exodus.

What does this mean?

1. Same great bands – Ghostland Observatory, Favourite Sons, The Mugs, and DJ Gorgeous Undertow.

2. No asshole door guy telling you to stand all the way up on Houston to smoke a cigarette.

3. Same great Crackers to hang out with.

4. No asshole door guy not letting you back in after you went to the deli.

5. Awesome rooftop garden for before and after the show.

6. No asshole door guy…

Tonight we’ll be checking out the last event of the season for Guggenheim and Flavorpill’s First Fridays. Diplo will be laying down the tracks. Come and feel the buzz, enjoy great music, grab a cocktail from the cash bar, and explore the latest exhibition, RUSSIA!

9PM to 1AM
$15 admission (cash only at the door).

Valeze’s provocative shows are pumped full of raw energy. With a whirlwind of melodically-crashing songs, they command the stage with fierce guitar riffs and the wicked vocals of the flirtatious and classically-trained Tiffany Randol. Building on their influences from the seminial bands of the late Seventies – Blondie, the Clash and the Sex Pistols in particular – Valeze has cultivated a sound all their own. Live, the sexy Tiff may be the focal point, but the Valeze experience wouldn’t be complete without the infectious energy of AC Delco (guitar), Joe H(bass), Tim Grace (keys)and Miles Kennedy (drums). Dressed to the nines in their matching suits and tiny ties, these guys instill fervor into each and every performance. Valeze is guaranteed to light up the night and wake up the neighbors!

Come out and join us for our New Year’s Eve bash hosted in conjunction with the good people at 301 West 18TH Street. The bar will be stocked with unlimited liquor and beer, plus we’ll be having a champagne toast at midnight! One of New York City’s most exciting live bands, Valeze, will be putting on a very special live show before the ball drops, don’t miss it! As usual, the dancefloor will be bumpin’ from the sounds provided by the guys here at CrackersUnited. They’ll be spinning a wide range of music including indie, brit, new wave, electro, and hip-hop.

IMPORTANT: This party is RSVP ONLY. Follow the link below to RSVP, you can also prepay in advance through this link. There will be a list at the door of those who RSVP’d, so don’t forget.

1. WILLY-B

Annoyingly hip, but still one of the best nightlife neighborhoods. Our ideal night would start out with drinks at Giando’s on the water. Nestled between the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Domino Sugar plant, this restaurant/banquet hall is home to Italian mob-types that eloquently match the over-gaudy décor. Grab a drink at the bar from Joey and gaze at the unparalleled views of the Willy Bridge and Manhattan skyline from the bar or from the outdoor deck along the water.

A few blocks from Giando’s is our favorite ‘diner’ in the city, Diner on Broadway and Berry. You can’t deny the charm of this cozy, 1927 dining car. The menu is far from typical diner-fare and is ever-changing. Affordable and delicious.

After dinner we’d make our way up Berry to The Levee (212 Berry). This unpretentious bar welcomes everyone with their famous Texan hospitality. I think our single CU members will enjoy the sign “Beware of Pickpockets & Loose Women,” while chugging brews ($4 to $7) that include options like Chimay Blue and Delirium Tremens, or one of the delicious specialty drinks ($6), like a Creamsicle (Stoli Vanil and Sunkist orange soda) or a Beam Cream (Jim Beam and cream soda).

Finally we’ll end up at Funhouse on Bedford: A cavernous, raw, converted garage space beckons beyond the giant clown head by the entry, with non-stop, arty projections on the paint-chipped walls compete with cool pyramid installations under whirring industrial fans. Inexpensive beers ($2 Buds, $3 Guinness), a free MP3 jukebox, and a cute, young clientele all warrant a CU thumbs up.

2. WARM IT UP

We’re hitting LIC this Saturday for the hot-hot Warm Up at P.S. 1. Dance in the museum courtyard, or lounge in the “beach” installation. The line up this week features: Lovebug Starski (original hip-hop legend) + Very special guest Jason Blackkat (Blackkat Soundsystem, NYC). Get there before the masses to avoid massive lines, and leave before it dies; we’re heading over to Astoria Beer Garden afterwards to cool down with some tasty brews.

3. BIKE THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT

New York Metro recently had a nice feature on City bike tours. A few CU members plan to take this one on Sunday: Brooklyn contains multitudes, and that’s just along the river. Cross the Brooklyn Bridge and pass the gorgeous townhouses of Henry Street from Brooklyn Heights through Carroll Gardens. At the end of Red Hook’s trendy-industrial Van Brunt Street, past the bake shops and faux-nautical bars, is the squat, redbrick Beard Street Warehouse, with views of the Statue of Liberty. At Valentino Pier, amateur fishermen enjoy condo-quality sight lines. The return trip offers more conventional prospects—the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Fulton Landing. Farther still is Dumbo and its neglected cousin, Vinegar Hill, a Georgian Revival ghost town. Then it’s a quick coast back over the Manhattan Bridge.
Directions

4. SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK FILM SERIES

Next Wednesday, August 17 at 8PM, we’ll be at Socrates Sculpture Park sampling regional Brazilian cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnicking on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers and, as the sky darkens, watching Central Station, by Walter Salles on a large format screen. Central Station is about a young boy and an aging woman joining up for an unlikely journey across the Brazilian landscape in a film that combines heartwarming yet unsentimental drama, social commentary, and beautiful landscapes. It’s FREE and you can bring wine, food, and your DOG!

5. KUNG FU FIGHTING

CU is very excited about BAM’s new movie series, Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting, The Shaw Brothers. With roots dating as far back as the silent era, the Shaw Brothers studio revolutionized the way movies were made in China and beyond. Known mainly for their incredible martial arts epics (both serious and tongue-in-cheek), the Shaws also produced Neal’s favorite classic, The Five Deadly Venoms. Get Tickets and schedule info here

Most would ask why this voice is stuck in my head, and I think last night has permanently tattooed those words on the inside of my skull.

RueB, a homely little bar on B south of 12th st in the East Village, is nothing to shake a stick at, but for many reasons has created some of the most random nights this cracker-fied NYer has ever seen.

After being voted the best bar in the East Village last week in next year’s Zagat, there has been a few more blue-striped shirts around – they have a tasty kitchen, the best martinis you can find, great bartenders, the cutest waitresses, some great free jazz every night (especially Mondays) – but I think Tuesday nights will scare them all away within the month:

Known as Uncle Vinnie’s night-out, if you happen to venture on Ave B after dark on a Tuesday, make sure to bring your gat and gold chains, as the Italian mafia descends upon this little holey jazz place – bringing in the craziest mix of ladies, music, and the most gold per square foot allowed by code. You cannot help but remember as you hear JoeyB belt out Sinatra (and sound exactly like him) and then turn up Alicia Keys (and sound exactly like her) – you think I’m kidding?! And to top it off, last night I got to sit down for a nice G&T and an even better conversation with Rachel Ray (who I must say is very sweet and uber-cute in person – and yes guys, she cooks!).

So, the next time you happen to find yourself in the EV and have a yankerin’ to rub shoulders with Uncle Vinny, Uncle Gino, Perry, and JoeyB….or have lost James and don’t know where to find him, stop by and join me for a tasty beverage.

(and, NO, I don’t get a free guacamole for this post)

As CU continues to open splinter cells throughout the country, one traveling man found himself braving the 100 degree heat of San Antonio and ended up last night at a bar you’d never take your mom to –

Drinking with friends, thinking we are here for a cover band, this cracker was blown off his chair by the hot-ness and the rockstar-ness of Spin 66 . Their alter ego, Jawbreaker, is the same crew but strictly a cover band and had a few killer Killers tunes, but their CD was the biggest surprise – shake up Letters to Cleo, Garbage, and Veruca Salt in a ziploc bag and out comes Spin 66 (a little teaser below)

Tease Me

It is no small secret we at CU have an ever swelling infatuation with uber-hot chicky chick lead singers that can really wail and I gotta tell you Heather Gasaway is the new queen of SA…

If you likey, let me know and I might be able to peel my fingers off the CD –

(Much love to the other queen of SA, Rachel, for her own hotness and rockstar-ness in finding these guys)