June 29, 2008
O'Death's Punk Rock Hootenanny
Mixing Americana with the raucous live energy and raw power of punk rock makes Queens' O'Death one of very few truly original acts around. O'Death formed in 2003; all five band members were students at SUNY Purchase at the time. Bassist Jesse Newman, however, didn't meet the group until about a year later, after they had all moved to New York City...
Stealing Jane: The Artist Formerly Known as Hyjinx
For most bands, changing their name after being together for seven years would be career suicide. But Glen Cove's Stealing Jane certainly hasn't lost any momentum since it changed its name from Hyjinx over a year ago. In fact, the group has only gained from the move, creating a sleek new image for itself and solidifying its signature sound...
The Center of the East End Scene
Much like the Long Island music scene usually gets stuck in the shadow of New York City, musicians from far eastern LI - the north and south forks - often get overlooked. What those from further west in Suffolk and Nassau don't realize is that there's actually a thriving East End music scene, albeit a mostly undiscovered one...
June 1, 2008
Perpetual Toxins' Summer Picks
Summer's here and that means tons of concerts, festivals, fairs and other fun events. And we know how difficult and overwhelming it can be to wade through those overly detailed summer calendars put out by other publications and how annoying it can be to keep having to check the schedules of your favorite venues...
World's Top Graffiti Artist on Display in Southampton
One of the contemporary art world's best-known artists actually isn't known at all. Banksy, an incredibly witty, guerilla graffiti artist from Britain - and one of the hottest commodities in the art world today - works very hard to remain anonymous...
Take a Stroll Through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
In the middle of the concrete desert called Brooklyn, there is an oasis that is just as refreshing as it sounds. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, located right next to the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Prospect Park, is the perfect non-beach summer day trip...
Bit Shifter: Not Playing Any Games
Goodbye Super Mario Bros., hello innovative, electronic music. Nintendo's Game Boy has been a popular handheld video game system since it was released in 1989. Over the years, while most have relished it for making their favorite Nintendo games portable, Astoria's Josh Davis - who dons the name Bit Shifter whenever he has a Game Boy in hand...
May 13, 2008
Catching Up With Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer has certainly been busy these days. After coming in fourth place on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing last fall, her career as a stand-up comic and actress has skyrocketed. Schumer has been chosen to star in a pilot for Comedy Central called Reality Bites, which will poke fun at reality TV.
Blameshift On the Rise to Success
During the past year, since the release of their most recent album, last May's full-length, The Test, Blameshift has shown the entire country why they're one of the next big things to come from Long Island. Since the group was founded in 2004, Syosset's Blameshift has already traveled the country several times over...
Envy on the Coast - One Year Later
Throughout the past three years, the boys of Envy on the Coast have seen the country several times over, not to mention other parts of the world. Obviously poised for success, they've made appearances at such music festivals as CMJ, Bamboozle and Warped Tour; they've shared the stage with acts like Cute Is What We Aim For...
Binary Solo!
The Flight of the Conchords, which recently finished its first season on HBO, is a musical comedy following the life of two New Zealanders looking for success in New York City. The Flight of the Conchords originally began as a comedy duo comprised of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement in their homeland of New Zealand...
Nothing But Magnificent
It's been more than a year since Friday, April 13, 2007 - which was anything but unlucky for the Suffolk County band Otherwise Magnificent as it took the stage at Village Pub South for the first time in months. This time, the group boasted a lead singer for the first time in its history...
July 1, 2007
A Public Service Announcement About Amy Sedaris
Comedienne Amy Sedaris, best known for her character Jerri Blank, a strangely loveable 40-something ex-con, ex-junkie and high school freshman from the cult-favorite Strangers With Candy, has shown how diverse her comedic talent is. Hot on the heels of her surprise NY Times Best Seller...
This Summer The Doorman Will Let Some Light Into Celebreality
Due out in late summer, comic-reality film The Doorman pits celebrity doorman Trevor W. against a New York nightlife full of opportunistic and worshipful social climbers. As much a personality exposé as a critique on the cult of personality, Doorman is cleverly self-aware...
The Electric Identity of Echostream
In a time where the monotony of emo, screamo, punk, hardcore and standard pop rule the venues and airwaves, it's an absolute thirst quencher when a band like Echostream shows up with a canteen of smooth and refreshing sounds. Echostream is undoubtedly distinct, but their big name influences are definitely there...
Off-Island Spotlight: John 5 - Grosse Point, MI
Due to his dark, ghostly appearance, many people wouldn't believe that guitarist John 5 hails from Grosse Point, MI, or that he was inspired to play the guitar by watching the country-themed TV show Hee Haw. Despite his rustic upbringing, he was chosen as Marilyn Manson's guitarist in 1998...
The Unattended Are Here to Have Fun
You walk into Metasin and plop down at the bar next to a regular guy. He's drinking his beer and chatting with his friends, other, laid-back, regular guys. You think nothing of it. So imagine your shock when those everyday ordinary dudes get on Metasin's graffiti-covered stage and blast out a sound that is anything but ordinary...
Lies Beneath Strikes the Right Chord
The heavy metal band Lies Beneath has struck the right chords. They are a blending of two groups, Skyril and 44 Cal. The result is a band that, while it follows in the tradition of Metallica, Slip Knot, Chimaria, Slayer and Lamb of God, plays only its own music...
