A New Year 2017

And I guess now can be a good time to post some sort of holiday season, New Year’s blog post on this blagh again in an attempt to maintain web 2.0 social media user generated content for this blog and my other blog whenever bloggers block possible. Another Gregorian calendar year has arrived, or passed and who knows what the next year will bring. And there seems to be a few good riddance 2016 Facebook events going around on Facebook with this end of the year 2016, as well as Brooklyn Bazaar’s The Greatest New Year’s Party Ever! F#CK 2016 ! party which considers 2016 to be possibly the worst year on record and the person of the year seems to be the grim reaper. And then there’s that New Year’s Resolutions That Are Actually Realistic link that I find myself posting in internetland every so often with one of those photos that reads, “FORGET PAST MISTAKES AND PRESS ON TO EVEN GREATER MISTAKES”.  And so Jeff Stark’s, nonsense nyc list sent another one of those weekly emails for those parties around New York City if you happen to subscribe to that mailing list.  And if I were to copy and paste part of this weeks nonsensy nyc list, it would read something like:

NOTE: We are 16 years old. We are still a little awkward, and we’re always late these days.

The reason why Nonsense still exists is because it serves a community. You are part of that community. And we still believe this community is vital to New York. Because in these dark times meaningless nonsense is more meaningful than ever. Collective joy brings us together. It is not a substitute for hard work and struggle. It is how you meet your people. It is our release.

We ask for a little help with this project once a year. Your donation covers real costs and keeps us an independent, ongoing resource for do-it-yourself, do-it-together culture in New York City. Please consider donating $15 if you find this list useful — and a little more if we list your events. There’s a link here:

http://nonsensenyc.com/special/

Thank you so much for your support. May we all find joy at 5 in the morning; may we all wake up to go another day.

xxx, Jeff Stark and the Nonsense NYC staff

Friday, December 23

* Rock ‘n’ Roll Bingo, Queens

Saturday, December 24

* The 10th Annual Menorah Horah, Manhattan

* House of Yes Misfit Christmas, Brooklyn

Christmas

* Good cheer, Everywhere

Thursday

* Get Real, Brooklyn

Friday, December 30

* New Years Divinations, Manhattan

* Rhinestone Gorilla Burlesque: Dystopian Holiday, Brooklyn

Wishlist

* Bitch bus

Spectre

* Nazi Cocaine Money

Overheard

* Fruit

Learning

* Compost

NOTE: For some navigation help, or an explanation for what this is all about, scroll all the way down to NONSENSE. You can donate to this project at nonsensenyc.com/special. Also: We make a lot of mikes, especially with dates; you should always double check our work before you go out.

XXXXX COVER ART XXXXX

Hildegard hallucination.

XXXXX FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23 XXXXX

Rock ‘n’ Roll Bingo

Rock ‘n’ Roll Bingo is coming to town with tons of prizes to stuff your stockings and free booze to cure your holiday blues.

Sweet Jane’s

64-02 68th Avenue, at 64th Street, Ridgewood, Queens

8-11p; $free

rocknrollbingo.nyc

facebook.com/rocknrollbingonyc

XXXXX SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24 XXXXX

The 10th Annual Menorah Horah

A Hanukkah burlesque show. Drop that dreidel and hold on to your latkes. The Schlep Sisters are heating up the holidays with Hanukkah’s Hottest Hebrew Hotties.

Celebrate eight dreidel-spinning nights of Hanukkah in one special evening of music, laughs, latkes, and burlesque. The world-class Schlep Sisters — Minnie Tonka and Darlinda Just Darlinda — are joined by premier burlesque stars: Fancy Feast, Jonny Porkpie, Varla Velour, Sapphire Jones, Aphrodite Rose, Trinity Starlight, Sasha Velour, and Zoe Ziegfeld. Plus DJ Momotaro will make you shake your moneymaker, while host Bastard Keith will keep you laughing until your candles burn out. All that fun, for just a little gelt.

Highline Ballroom

431 West 16th Street, Manhattan

6p doors, 8p show; $25

highlineballroom.com/show/2016/12/24/menorah-horah-3/

***** Also on SATURDAY *****

House of Yes Misfit Christmas

Oh, Come all ye faithful. Slide on down our chimney. It’s the Night before Christmas. Come on over and we will slip some presents under your tree. Tis the season for embracing your misfit-ness. Native New Yorkers, Orphans, Tourists, Chosen People and Non-Christmas Celebrators unite. The city is ours, come spend Christmas Eve with your chosen family and all of your long-lost fellow misfit sisters and brothers and hot mamas and sugar-daddies on the dancefloor at House of Yes.

We’ve saved our best holiday shenanigans for last and will be getting way too festive one last time with cookies and milk, spiked hot cocoa, chinese food and movies, fake snow, real snow, yellow snow, mistletoe makeout booths, runaway reindeer, drunk santas, sober snowflakes, elves on strike, awkward uncles, sexy aunts, and everything else that reminds us of how weird this night is for the rest of us. Make your own tradition, find your own family, get into the spirit and don’t forget to give it. Wear your xmas pajamas, ugliest sweaters, lucille ball gowns, nativity costumes, angel outfits, rudolph clown nose, and anything else that makes you feel the joy.

House of Yes

2 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn

10p-4a; $free all night with RSVP

12 and over

eventbrite.com/e/house-of-yes-misfit-christmas-tickets-29407011162

XXXXX CHRISTMAS XXXXX

Merry Christmas!

XXXXX THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29 XXXXX

Get Real

How ya been? We doing our second annual pre-NYE Get Real warehouse with Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet.

Brooklyn Warehouse

RSVP for address

10p-4a; $40

info]at]meanredproductions.com

ticketf.ly/2ezNBlh

XXXXX FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30 XXXXX

New Years Divinations

On the eve of New Years Eve, New York City’s finest psychics, readers, and healers gather at the Alchemist’s Kitchen to offer illuminating insights and healing services. Reflect on past and future with greater clarity in one one one consultations with seasoned readers. Replenish your own stock of healing remedies. Activate your intuition with our state-changing botanical elixirs and set intentions for an extraordinary new journey around the sun.

The Alchemist’s Kitchen

21 East 1st Street, Manhattan

6:30-9:30p; $free, with $20 per session

newyearsdivinations.splashthat.com/

facebook.com/events/621474814705570/

**** Also on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30 ****

Rhinestone Gorilla Burlesque: Dystopian Holiday

New Year’s Eve is a night we spend looking forward, imagining the future in a glow of welcoming candlelight, with hope in your heart and champagne in your glass. But New Year’s Eve *Eve* is something else entirely. New Year’s Eve Eve is about looking back, remembering what was in the heat of a dumpster fire, with knots in your stomach and cheap whiskey in your flask.

Before you ring in the joy of a new year, wring out the flop sweat of the old. Join Rhinestone Gorilla as we look back in anger at the year that was, work through our anxiety about what’s to come, and say goodbye and fuck you to 2016.

Bizarre Bushwick

12 Jefferson Street, Brooklyn

9p doors, 9:30p show; $10-20 suggested donation

tinyurl.com/zd4s94r

XXXXX UPCOMING XXXXX

* Rubulad Proudly Presents Y2K Flashback, December 31

* Gemini and Scorpio present Labyrinth Lounge, December 31

* Junxion Reset, December 31

* Coney Island USA Presents How Cool Is This New Year’s Eve Party? December 31

* Mister New Year’s Eve and Mister New Year’s Day, December 31 and January 1

* Mister Sunday: New Year’s Day, January 1

* Golden Festival, January 13 and 14

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year’s 2016.

Freeganism

And if I must blogger say, it was 23 degrees on this night in the middle of December during that holiday season that I found myself on one of those twice monthly Freegan trash tours, also known as dumpster diving, in that city of New York last night, that usually take place after their meetings, this one being at the Sony Public Atrium on 55th Street and Madisoin Avenue. And after that freegan meeting, this trash tour group of about ten or fifteen people made its way ten or fifteen blocks toward what seemed like about 70th street, stopping at what seemed like 10 different spots of various supermarkets, coffee shops, deli's and any other kind of food stores along the way. And it was said that this was a slow night, as usually food is found at every spot, or every other spot, more than one can carry, and on this night food was only found at two or three of these ten spots, with most of the food being found at the last spot of what seemed like a gourmet natural health food store at the end of the night as in those photos that find themselves posted above. And there is also to be a freegan feast a day later after this dumpster dive of that freegan food that was found, to be shared at someones home with everyone. And from what I know, these trash tours usually take place during the hours of 9pm and 11pm, during that two hour window of when the food is put out on the sidewalk or dumpster and thrown away to when the food is picked up by the garbage trucks to throw it away. And so what exactly is freeganism and dumpster diving?  Well, it has something to do with capitalism, consumerism and saving the world.  And according that freegan.info website, What is a Freegan?:

Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed. 

After years of trying to boycott products from unethical corporations responsible for human rights violations, environmental destruction, and animal abuse, many of us found that no matter what we bought we ended up supporting something deplorable. We came to realize that the problem isn’t just a few bad corporations but the entire system itself. 

Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which we may never even consider. Thus, instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest degree we are able. 

The word freegan is compounded from “free” and “vegan”. Vegans are people who avoid products from animal sources or products tested on animals in an effort to avoid harming animals. Freegans take this a step further by recognizing that in a complex, industrial, mass-production economy driven by profit, abuses of humans, animals, and the earth abound at all levels of production (from acquisition to raw materials to production to transportation) and in just about every product we buy. Sweatshop labor, rainforest destruction, global warming, displacement of indigenous communities, air and water pollution, eradication of wildlife on farmland as “pests”, the violent overthrow of popularly elected governments to maintain puppet dictators compliant to big business interests, open-pit strip mining, oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, union busting, child slavery, and payoffs to repressive regimes are just some of the many impacts of the seemingly innocuous consumer products we consume every day.

Is another world possible. Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.

A Standing Rock Indian Reservation

Now I am not exactly sure what the Standing Rock protest is all about that has been in the news a lot lately, though before the United States Presidential Election 2016 results turned America upside down, as if it weren't already turned upside down, Standing Rock was just about the only thing, besides Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street and other topics, that seemed to appear on that Facebook news feed everywhere that I find myself looking at every so often in my internetaholicness. And according to Wikipedia, Standing Rock Indian Reservation is a Hunkpapa Lakota and Yanktonai Dakota Indian reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. And also according to Facebook, Standing Rock is the latest cause to stand for, the latest cause that has resulted in seemingly endless protests, rallies, standoffs and Facebook event invites for even more protesta, rallies, standoffs and Facebook event invites that has gained support from seemingly across the nation with the hashtags #NoDAPL and #StandwithStandingRock and a #NODAPL National Day Of Action 11.15.16. And I think this #NoDAPL has something to do with No Dakota Access Pipeline, which I guess has something to do with the blood for oil industry and fracking or drilling or running a gas line or some kind of pipeline through everywhere the blood for oil industry can find, and I guess in this case, in the middle of or near an Indian reservation. And though I am no rocket scientist on this topic, those pictures that find themselves posted above from Rob Wilson Photography and Stand Step Up Speak out Loud in Prayer for Standing Rock of what looks like a police state in the middle of the desert from 1492 when America was supposedly discovered, speak for themselves. And according to that American Indian Prophecy,  Legend of the Rainbow Warriors and Hopi and Sioux Prophecy:

"When the earth is dying there shall arise a new tribe of all colours and all creeds.  This tribe shall be called The Warriors of the Rainbow and it will put its faith in actions not words."

"There will come a time when the earth is sick and the animals and plants begin to die. Then the Indians will regain their spirit and gather people of all nations, colors and beliefs to join together in the fight to save the Earth: The Rainbow Warriors." 

Water is sacred. Water is life. Save the water. No blood for oil. And what does this have to do with a No Police State.

A Village Halloween Costume Ball

And it's that time of year yet again where another one of those holidays rolls around to where I can just recycle this blog post and post about that same holiday all over again.  And in all honesty, I find myself blaghing on this day because it is Halloween on this day again, and I found myself taking a bunch of photos at that Theater for the New City Village Halloween Costume Ball yet again in that city of New York.  And then there's that annual Village Halloween Parade to be found in New York City on this day also.  And that day of the dead, when the dead come to life, or something like that, started out with that guy all lit up in lights for this Halloween night at Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, as in those photos that find themselves posted above, and it continued with people all dressed up, and lit up in Christmas lights and all kind of lights on this night.  And the costumes are always amazing to see on this day.  If only every day were Halloween, then we would be free to be who we want to be, I think. Happy All Saints Day.

A HONK Festival 2016

And I guess it's that time of year again when that annual HONK! Fest rolls around, that festival of activist street bands that finds seemingly a ton or more activist street bands performing in Somerville, Massachusetts every year around this time of year for a weekend event. And I guess it's also been a while since I have been to one of those HONK Festivals.  And since this blagh has seemingly become about events, events and more events for when that google page rank update does not get get rich internet quick, I find myself blaghing about yet another event.  And then there's HONK NYC, which I guess you could call the New York City version of HONK! Fest, as HONK NYC has seemingly a million or more bands performing around that same weekend thereafter as HONK! Fest also, as there are so many Facebook event invites for bands performing at so many places in the New York City area that it is hard to keep track of them all, I think, such as HONK NYC! at World Maker Faire 2016, HONK! Barbès with Slavic Soul Party & The Nevermind Orchestra!,  HONK NYC! at Snug Harbor with SI Museum & SI Childrens Museum, HONK! for Staten Island Art Parade and Concert!, HONK! Dance Party with Frank London & Marching Cobras, HONK NJ! at WFMU's Monty Hall, HONK Rubulad! Brass-Tastic Blowout, HONK NYC! Percussion Workshop with Scott Kettner of Maracatu NY, HONK for More Gardens! Procession, Workshop & Performance and HONK Harlem! is Tomorrow! Whoot!, which is actually today as I type this blagh post.  And so it was that Underground Horns band at that HONK NJ! at WFMU's Monty Hall event that I found myself at for some reason or another as part of that Honk NYC event, as in some of those photos and videos that find themselves posted above. And that description for that Monty Hall Facebook event invite reads something like as follows:

HONK NYC and WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise w/ Rob Weisbergbring international brass band mayhem to NJ!

Get there EARLY for a special appearance by the Merasi Master Musicians of Rajasthan, India at 7:30! Followed by the sights and sounds of Brooklyn's Funkrust Brass Band; New York's first and foremost Balkan brass powerhouse Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band; the uproarious Le Pompier Poney Club of France; and the transglobal adventures ofunderground horns!

Merasi: http://www.folkartrajasthan.org/
Funkrust: http://www.funkrust.com/
Zlatne Uste Brass Band: http://www.zlatneuste.org/
Le Pompier Poney Club: http://www.lepompierponeyclub.com/
Underground Horns: http://www.undergroundhorns.com/

This concert will be recorded by the fine folks at WFMU Studio. Check out last year's show: https://vimeo.com/143038847

Don't miss this over-the-top international activist brass band performance spectacle in JERSEY CITY. Marching band music like you've never imagined, plus off-kilter dance routines, twisted baton-twirling, absurdist acrobatics, hysterical histrionics, and high school marching formations from an alternate universe!

And HONK! Fest and HONK NYC Rock.  Have a great music day and more.