What's Good? 2/12

What's Good? Report NYC
Edition 2
2/12/2010



Hey all;



In this edition:
-How Things Have Changed: Ten Years Back
-Mike Posner Update
-Trey on Tuesday
-Yes It's Expensive; New Show Announced
-What Am I Seeing?
-What Else is Good?
-Updated Ticket Listings



How Things Have Changed: Ten Years Back

People always ask me if I am going to continue what I'm doing now as I go off to college, and my answer is, unless I stay in New York or nearby, a resounding no.  I then usually explain why it would be unreasonable: chiefly because the scene changes so damn fast.

I like to look back ten years; it's a nice round number.  It was 2000.  The Bowery Ballroom was only three years old, a shocking reminder of how we may feel like we have known our best friends forever, but they are really some of our newest friends.  Terminal 5 was a nightclub for raves, glowsticks, and drug deals.  The Wellmont Theatre was closed in disrepair.  Williamsburg was known for chasids, not music.  Irving Plaza was not LiveNation's crown jewel; LiveNation was a full five years away.  Gramercy was an off-Broadway playhouse, and visitors to what is now the Nokia Theatre were seeing either Gladiator or Cast Away.

It wasn't all bad though.  Roseland and the Hammerstein were premiere spaces, booking acts four or five nights a week and rocking midtown.  It's really sad to see how those two venues have declined so much in recent years.  Perhaps audiences today want to be closer to the bands, or just don't care as much about comfort, but more of the venues were seated.  Radio City was more prominent on the scene.  MSG booked monthly, at least.  Music still thrived in the burbs during the summer, as Long Island had what was still called the Jones Beach Theater (newly expanded, too!), and Joisey chilled on the lawn at PNC.  Both were arguably in their heyday, although Central Park Summerstage still shied away from big-name pop and rock musical acts.

In the past ten years, cell phones have put the world at our fingertips, allowing concertgoers to send pictures and videos instantly from the show, letting their friends know what they're missing.  The internet has done wonders for concert marketing, so perhaps it is technology to blame for the propagation of live music in the city.  Ticket brokering has largely moved from outside the venue to online; "need tickets" not required.

Looking back, it seems as though everything we knew about the live music scene has changed since the dawn of the new millennium.  I feel that it would be naïve to believe that things won't continue to change.  Not only have the venues changed, but the music has changed and the audiences as well.  Being away, I may still know the big acts.  I may still know the venues that are mainstays, but there will be a palpable disconnect between me, wherever I am, and the city which has been so good to live music for the past ten years.



Mike Posner Update

I have only a very small handful of tickets left for the Mike Posner show at Gramercy Monday, 2/22.  A bunch of us are gonna keep vacation going one more day and party it up on 23rd street so feel free to join.

Links from last week:

Check out his free mixtape at
http://web.duke.edu/~mrp16/MikePosnerOneFootOutTheDoor.zip

and read up on him at
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1625959/20091110/story.jhtml



Trey on Tuesday

Don't miss out on seeing the lead singer of Phish, Trey Anastasio jazz it up with his side project, Classic TAB.  Tickets are still available to see Trey, widely appreciated as one of the best guitarists of all time, jam at T5 Tuesday night, 2/16.  Ticket prices have just been dropped to face at $45.  As always, contact for deets.



-Yes It's Expensive; New Show Announced

I was able to pick up 7th row orch aisle tickets today for BEN FOLDS (and a piano) at Wellmont in Montclair, Joisey.  The show goes down Friday 4/9.  I don't have a market value for these yet, so I don't have a discounted price for y'all yet, but contact me or stay tuned for details.  Just a fair warning: these will probably go for well over 100 each...



What Am I Seeing?

What Else is Good? is being split into two sections.  What Am I Seeing will be shows I am seeing/might go see.  What Else is Good? will be for, well, the else.

As long as the show isn't sold out, you're invited!  Email me for deets.

-I'll be checking up on the North Mississippi Allstars as they come north to the Highline Ballroom 2/26.  Tickets are $24.

-The Hold Steady are going to be in Ardsley, Westchester 4/2.  I'm told that they're a band everyone should see live before they die, so they're in my calendar right now.  Tickets are $30.

-I'll also be catching the Mike Posner show and SK6ers 1000th.



What Else is Good?

While I have a lot what's good, I realize the the musical goodness in NYC extends beyond the boundaries of what I can offer.  Thus, each week I would like to bring you a little bit of what else is good.

-Cobra Starship and 3OH!3 are going to be at Roseland 5/12.  Tickets are $30, and you can pick them up here with internet presale code DRUMS.

-Uncle Kracker comes to the Starland Ballroom 4/2 for less than $20.  Follow him, and everything will be alright.  Tickets on sale now.


From Last Week

-Passion Pit is playing the 7000 person Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn Tuesday, 6/29.  The show just sold out, but secondary market ticket prices are pretty low right now, and should stay at about these levels for about a month to six weeks.  If you know you want to go, sooner is better for picking up tickets.  Contact me if you want a strategy for buying tickets at the best price on the secondary market.  I also have a connection that I might be able to get you tickets through, so contact me if interested.

-Bowling for Soup is going on tour, bringing their decade-despising popiness to the Starland Ballroom, Gramercy Theatre, and LI's very own Crazy Donkey in March.  Tickets are still available for all shows, so pick those up at ticketmaster or livenation.



Updated Ticket Listings

Plenty of price drops this week!

Ticket Listings were updated today, and can be found at
http://ekozie.fileave.com/ektixx/ektixx2-12.pdf



As always, contact for deets,
wgrncy@gmail.com
ektixx@gmail.com

Till next week,
EK