Matt L. Roar hits the floor after performing as Golden West Service, photo via Instagram
When he was a kid in the San Francisco Bay area, Matt L. Roar’s mom and dad formed a blues band with him on bass, his little brother on sax, mom on the keys and dad on guitar. A guy from their church, who would wear a hat with red lights on it during shows, played the drums. They would perform at watering holes out in the East Bay, and Matt’s dad would dress him up in a big coat and hat as a cheap disguise—to hide the fact that he was only twelve years old and hanging out in a bar. After growing up, playing in hardcore punk bands in San Francisco and the East Bay and later moving to North Brooklyn several years ago, Matt L. Roar is definitely no newbie to the indie music scene.
Equally influenced by a DIY punk ethos, modern rappers like Lil Yachty, oldschool hiphop (Wu Tang and Tribe) and the old timey sounds of Woody Guthrie’s wails, his musical project Golden West Service is an idiosyncratic blend of garage, punk, noise, lo-fi 8-bit and a number of other genres. On GWS’s newly released first full-length album When You Die, he collaborates with a variety of musical friends, including Tim Hellman (OhSees/Flat Worms), who plays guitar on three songs; Evan Smith (Russian Baths) who plays bass on almost the entire record, and Jah Jah Brown (local punk rappers Ninjasonik) does vocals on one of the tracks. His younger brother Aaron Rohrer plays sax on one of the songs, poet Marisa Crawford performs on another and, and friend Andy Del Calvo laid down some drums for the song Blackbird.
We chatted with him about his new album, and the best local venues to see live music (The Gutter, Silent Barn, Trans Pecos and RIP Greenpoint Heights). Continue reading →
[sponsored] Artrider: CraftBrooklyn
December 5th & 6th, 10am
$10 weekend pass
Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble St
Meet 100 of the most talented fine craft makers in the country and shop for handmade goods and gifts at the new CraftBrooklyn. Find one-of-a-kind and limited edition creations of contemporary ceramics, furniture, fashion, jewelry, blown glass, home furnishings, and more! More info
WEDNESDAY 12/02 ♫ Warper Party @ Tender Trap (66 Greenpoint Ave) 8pm, FREE, Two rooms of omnidigital art and music, visuals, interactive art, and workshops, RSVP
♫ Trooper 666 Launch Party @ Saint Vitus (1120 Manhattan Ave)9pm, FREE, An evening ofmetalicious karaoke to celebrate the release of Robinsons Brewery’s Iron Maiden branded Trooper Ale, RSVP
THURSDAY 12/03
♦ Beer & Art Events Presents @ Brouweriji Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave) 7pm, FREE, An evening celebrating the art of Noel Donaldson, RSVP ^ Pete’s Reading Series @ Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer St) 7:30pm, FREE, With Alexandra Kleeman, Rick Moody, and Maggie Messitt, More info
From 11:30 p.m. until close, Greenpoint Heights, with its spacious, summery backyard, has got you covered for greasy late night bar food snacks. When you’re hungry late at night, drunkenly consult your Google Maps and stumble past McGolrick on your way to this most relaxed of backyards.
Here at Greenpoint Heights, under the light of the full moon, when you are howling for grease and fat, you will find our friend the wing. The wing, which has given sustenance to many a poor sports fan, graduate student and food-is-an-afterthought barfly, is basically required at any neighborhood bar. Greenpoint Heights’ buffalo wings are $6.00 for half a dozen and $12.00 for a dozen. During happy hour, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day, wings are half-off, at 50 cents apiece. Continue reading →
There are few pleasures in life greater than rounding off the working day with a well- earned beverage at your favorite bar. And when that beverage costs next to nothing, the pleasure is even greater, which is why happy hour is pretty much always the best time of day.
We’ve rounded up a list of practically every happy hour in Greenpoint for you to work through at your leisure. From $2.50 wine at Boulevard Tavern to ‘bottomless champagne’ at Le Gamin, we reckon we’ve got everyone covered!
Key to happiness:
☺ – Extra Happy Value
★ – Food Deals
♥ – Editor’s Picks
Achilles Heel 180 West Street (At Green St.) Weekdays 4pm-7pm
– $5 drafts
– $8 glass of wine
– $9 cocktail (seasonal classics)
– $12 for 6 oysters
★♥ Alameda 195 Franklin Street (at Green St.) Weekdays & Sundays 5pm-7pm
– $5 prosecco/cortada margarita/draught beer
– $7 tequila shot and 1/2 pint of beer
– $11 Boquerone & tomato toast with a vermouth & club soda
– $12 Burger and 1/2 pint of beer
★♥Adelina’s 159 Greenpoint Avenue (between Leonard St. and Manhattan Ave.) Weekdays 5pm-7pm
– $5 craft beer pints
– $8 quartinos of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio & prosecco
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with olive bowl: $9
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with cheese plate: $17
– Craft beer pint & “The Original” pizza fritta: $15
Beloved 674 Manhattan Avenue (between Norman Ave. and Nassau Ave.) Daily 5pm-8pm
– $8 house cocktails (+ daily cocktail special is $8 all night) Continue reading →
Did someone say Super Bowl Party? (Image courtesy of cartoondollemporium.com)
So it turns out that there is some kind of massive sports game going on this weekend. Yep, according to the internet, Sunday’s Super Bowl will see the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in an epic battle to become the, um, winners.
Katy Perry will be chipping in with some half time entertainment, in a performance that show director Hamish Hamilton describes as ‘a triumph of bringing lots of people, technology, ideas, creative, scientific and logical minds together’. With any luck this amazing melting pot will result in a solution for world peace…but failing that let’s hope Perry’s outfit at least trends on twitter for a few minutes.
Here’s our round up of where to go in Greenpoint to watch the game…as well as some places you can definitely avoid it…
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME:
Warsaw (261 Driggs Avenue at Eckford))
The Polish National Home is throwing an Epic Super Bowl Party, with three giant cinemascreens, and stadium sound from their ‘gagillion watt’ rock concert PA.
They’ll be serving up a banquet of pierogies, vodka shots, beer towers, wings, spicy kielbasa, paprika relish hoagies, smothered nachos and savory chili. Tables should be booked in advance here.
Riverstyx(21 Greenpoint Avenue)
The folks at Riverstyx are pulling out all the stops for the occasion and bringing in smoke machines, lasers and LED lights, as well as two big screen TV screens. Cocktails will be served in trophies, alongside buckets of beer. Meanwhile their ‘Game Day’ menu ($6-$12) will include Nachos, Sliders, Jalapeno Poppers, Chicken Fingers, Buffalo Wings, Pizza Shooters, as well as regional specialties representative of the competing teams’ hometowns. Continue reading →
After several false-starts to summer, it’s the arrival of gorgeous weeks like this that make it seem important to spend as much time as possible outdoors. A few among us are lucky enough to have an outdoor space of our own but fortunately, for those of us that don’t, Greenpoint has an abundance of cafes and bars offering some beautiful back yards in which to idle away some sunny hours.
WEDNESDAY 5/28
* Artists, Writers, Dreamers, and Thinkers @ Brooklyn Art Library (103A North 3rd St) 7pm, FREE, James Gulliver Hancock, the artist behind All The Buildings in New York, shares his latest book, RSVP * Poker Philanthropy Fundraiser @ TBA Brooklyn (224 Franklin St) 7:30pm, FREE / $100 buy-in, Play Texas Hold-Em to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project, More info
* 7th Annual Druid Underground Film Festival @ Spectacle Theater (124 South 3rd St) 8pm, $5, DUFF screening are infused with themes of surrealism and obsession to create a truly unique theatre experience, RSVP
THURSDAY 5/29 ♦ Ginger Rivera Opening Reception @ Yashar Gallery (276 Greenpoint Ave) 7pm, FREE, Atmospheres and other recent works, RSVP
☺ The “Free Pizza” Pizza Show @ Legion Bar (790 Metropolitan Ave) 8pm, FREE, A comedy show tribute to the greatest food on earth, featuring five short plays about pizza, More info
* Choreography @ Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Ave) 8pm, $15, Michou Szabo premieres a new evening length dance work created for the vaulted panoramic structure of the Knockdown Center, Buy tix Continue reading →
Not sure if I ever told you that I participated in a Mastermind Group. I’m not a big fan of self-help or group activities for that matter, but I was drawn to this idea because of the “accountability” element. Anyone can start a Mastermind and you can even give it its own catchy title. Jon coined the term “Vagina Cult” for ours since it was myself and three other talented wonderful women.
We agreed to keep it all confidential: “The first rule of vagina cult, you don’t talk about Vagina Cult,” so I will leave the details and participants out of it, but the main idea is you meet regularly and at each meeting you have a specific amount of time when you talk. It’s timed so you don’t ramble on like a lunatic. Someone takes notes and at the following meeting you talk about whether you have accomplished those goals you set the meeting prior. Continue reading →
I drank a lot of whiskey last week on my quest to find Greenpoint’s best hot toddy. The booze guzzling was well worth the effort. I’m proud to announce Greenpoint bars are no stranger to the tasty winter treat. I found a few bangin’ toddies in this ‘hood and got a little tipsy along the way.
Before I feign food critic and rate the toddies, how about some history, in case you’ve somehow survived without toddies all winter long? Traditionally, the drink combines whiskey, boiling water and sugar or honey. Cloves, lemon and/or cinnamon may also be added. According to good ol’ Wikipedia, hot toddies were once recommended as a cure for the common cold, but the American Lung Association denounced this because alcoholic beverages cause dehydration. Yeah, whatever.
Though a seemingly simple recipe, concocting the best hot toddy is an art. You’d be surprised how disappointing a toddy can be – especially when you’re paying $8 for what tastes like hot water with lemon. Luckily, the bartenders in this neighborhood know what they’re doing and tend to be plenty generous when it comes to pouring whiskey.
Runner Up:Greenpoint Heights, 278 Nassau Avenue
Toddy: $6
Props to the hidden dive bar on the corner for having hot water ready to go upon my arrival. Also, I’m sending a virtual fist pump to the bartender for pouring half a mug-full of Evan Williams before adding the water, cinnamon stick and lemon with cloves. THIS toddy would cure a common cold. And knock you on your ass. Heights’ hot toddy isn’t trying to be anything special. It needs honey. I did like the holiday teddy bear mug, though. And I hear this place has great tacos.
Runner Up: Black Rabbit, 91 Greenpoint Avenue
Toddy: $8
First, let me point out that Black Rabbit wins for coziest, most perfect toddy ambience. Fireplace? Check. Twinkly lights? Check. This is an ideal place to escape a cold winter night. My biggest problem with their recipe is the use of scotch instead of whiskey. Huh? It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my favorite. Rabbit’s excessive use of lemon made the toddy too bitter for my liking. Additional ingredients include honey syrup (equal parts honey and water, boiled and cooled), Tetley’s black tea bag, cinnamon stick and a clove-studded lemon slice.
Third Place: Berry Park, 4 Berry Street
Toddy: $8
“Jameson. Fresh lemon. Honey.” That’s what the menu reads. There’s not much else to say about it. Berry Park’s toddy fits the traditional definition best. It’s simple and delicious and not trying to be fancy. It had just the right amount of each ingredient.
Second Place: Spritzenhaus, 33 Nassau Avenue
Toddy: $8
For the record, Spritzenhaus almost came in first. I lucked out with a bartender who is extremely passionate about his hot toddy making. His trick: Coat the bottom of the glass (not a mug) with lots of honey. He used Barton’s whiskey, which sounds worse than it tastes, I promise. The honey disguised it well. You can certainly request better whiskey if you prefer. Spritz’s toddy also included a lemon wedge with cloves in it and a cinnamon stick. Fireplaces and Jenga definitely added to this Greenpoint beer garden’s hot toddy perfection. Bravo, Spritzenhaus. Bravo!
WINNER: Enid’s, 560 Manhattan Avenue
Toddy: $8
Enid’s serves a perfectly whiskeyed and perfectly sweetened toddy that’s easy on the lemon (despite the use of lemon juice and a lemon wedge) and sans both cinnamon and honey. The secret ingredient that makes this toddy so goddamn delightful is…wait for it…maple syrup! In addition to its deliciousness, the hundreds of handmade snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and the still-standing-in-January Christmas tree provided the ultimate winter atmosphere. Enid’s toddy isn’t on the menu, but ask and you shall receive. Congrats, Enid’s!
The Enid’s Magic Recipe:
1 Part Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1 Part Fresh Squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice
1 Part Grade B Maple Syrup
2 Parts Boiling Water
And stand up comic Kerryn Feehan is funny as shit. She performed at the Greenpointers Sandy Benefit for Adopt NY and was by far the crowd favorite! That is why we are so pumped to learn that she is working on a film, CRUSHED and organized a fundraiser (Kickstart CRUSHED) at Greenpoint Heights (278 Nassau Ave) Thursday, January 17th.
Kerryn has put together a line-up of kick ass local comics, all in one place, for one night. Come LOL with us while helping her get the film CRUSHED produced. Tickets $10 at the door.
Kickstart CRUSHED Line Up:
hosted by Kerryn Feehan, (Stand Up and Take Your Clothes Off, co-writer and star of CRUSHED)
Francoise Gordon (co-star of CRUSHED)
Katie Compa (San Francisco Sketch Fest)
Craig Hillelson (I Don’t Like Your Tone, Tribeca Comedy Club)
Ashley Brooke Roberts (The Dream Show, UCB)
Sean Donnelly (My Dumb Friends Podcast, Gotham, Carolines)
The Lucas Brothers (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; Comedy Central, MTV)
CRUSHED the feature film: follows a one-day sober, struggling female comic and her best friend, a brain injured female comic, as they spend a night going from mic to mic in bars all over New York.
