WEEKEND: HUMBUGS RULE
Superstars of the burgeoning Burly-Q underground, Nasty Canasta and Jonny Porkpie go down (the Shore) once more for a Black Friday Burlesque extravaganza. (Photo by Ted D’Ottavio)
In our previous posting, we ran down everything you needed to know (and then some) about the big Town Lighting and all the other Santa-fied attractions going on in and around the greater Red Bank orbit tonight and this weekend. Following are some week-ending suggestions for those of us to whom holiday hoopla is the stuff of highest humbuggery.
1. Black Friday Burlesque at Asbury Lanes. It’s the day after Thanky Thursday and they’re straining at the doors to get in — the Asbury Lanes, that is — so if you’ve ever had the urge to kick things the way your grandfather did in 1960 (with a little bowling, Blue Ribbon and bump-and-grind entertainment), then drop that ball-bag at the center lanes. The Jersey Shore’s premier alternative arts center has a become a haven for, among many other things, the burgeoning burlesque-revival scene in general — and NYC’s Pinchbottom Burlesque in particular. The troupe has made many trips to the kitschy-kool kegler’s kathedral on Fourth Avenue, and on this freaky Friday night they return yet again with “eight tassels, four g-strings and one charming host.” Master of ceremonies Neil O’Fortune welcomes back Clams Casino, Nasty Canasta and Jonny Porkpie, with side dishes Delirium Tremens and Jezebel Express — for another evening of striptease, standup, and star quality BurlyQ. Friday, 8pm/ $10
2. Pat Guadagno plays Tom Waits at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club. His peculiar brand of scratchy-78s Americana, broken-glass dirtfarm blues and snake-oil sideshow stylings sounds like the devil himself when filtered through his razor-ribbon gargle of a voice — but Tom Waits actually writes beautiful songs for all sorts of people to sing, and all sorts of people — from Scarlett Johansson to Southside Johnny — have recorded whole albums of his tunes. As a self-described “saloon singer” (at places that range from the most delightful local holes-in-the-wall to the area’s newest and spiffiest restaurants), Pat Guadagno knows a thing or three about making someone else’s song his own — witness the high-profile tradition of his annual Bobfest concerts for Dylan’s birthday. Having recently showcased his new CD That’s a Bob Dylan Song at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club, the brother-in-law of NJ’s lieutenant-governor elect returns to the “Howard Jetsons” lounge with his band Side O’ Toast in a set of salutes to the great Waits. Then on Saturday at the Supperclub, Bob Bandiera pays tribute to one of the guitargods who inspired him the most, Mr. Eric Clapton. Friday, 8pm/ $5
Wickermedia: The prize winning force that is Wicker Hollow headlines the Stone Pony on Friday, as a Bamboozle camera crew records their every move.
3. Wicker Hollow at the Stone Pony. There are wickers and there are losers in this game, and among the hundreds of hungry young bands that vied for the top prize in The Break Contest at the Stone Pony (the prize being a showcase set at this past Bamboozle festival), only one prevailed — and on Black Friday Night, Wicker Hollow returns to the Stoney to topline a launch party for Bamboozle 2010. There’s more music courtesy of openers Fifteen Fleeting, Like The Stars and A Subtle Monument — plus a special late set by 2009 Asbury Music Award winners Outside The Box — and a Bamboozle film crew will be on the case, taking names, shooting faces, and stealing souls. Friday, 8pm/ $12
4. Acoustic Saturdays at RB Library. The Red Bank Public Library continues its last-Saturday-of-each-month free music series featuring New Jersey-based musicians, singers and songwriters. November’s spotlight falls on folk singer and guitarist Vinny Kyne, in a performance that’s emceed by Anton Daub, whose popular Wednesday night open mic at Keyport coffeehouse Espresso Joe’s inspired these afternoons on the bucolic banks of the Navesink. Saturday, 2pm/ FREE
TV comedy competition champs Alonzo Bodden, Iliza Schlesinger and John Heffron make a stand at the Count Basie Theatre on Saturday night.
5. Asbury Park Firefighters 2010 Calendar Event. It’s a red carpet (red helmet?) event at the Third Avenue Pavilion on the Asbury Park boardwalk, as the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP) and the guys of the city’s Fire Department present the official unveiling party for the Asbury Park Firefighters 2010 Calendar. ArtsCAP president Dennis Carroll — an accomplished lensman himself — worked with APFD Chief Kevin Keddy and photographer Alan Barnett on the project (”and no, this is not a beefcake calendar”), a fundraiser for the nonprofit’s community programs as well as for the ongoing effort to replace the city’s century-old firehouse with an all new, eco-friendly structure. Several of the city’s bravest are expected to be on hand to autograph their calendar pages, and there’s live music plus complimentary refreshments — then on Sunday, the calendar goes on sale at a number of local businesses (or you can order yours right here for $18). Saturday, 7pm
6. Last Comic Standing Tour at Count Basie Theatre. Maybe it’s just our imagination, but it seems that the folks at the Count Basie have really stepped up the comedy bookings at the historic auditorium since renovating in 2008 — and why not, as theatre-ready funnymakers from Lewis Black to Ron White have regularly drawn sellout crowds to this class joint. Here in its second annual appearance in Red Bank, the Last Comic Standing Tour brings together three past champs from the popular cathode comedy competition — including returning co-star Iliza Schlesinger, the standup stunner who took the show’s 6th season by storm. She’s joined here by Alonzo Bodden (season 3) and John Heffron (season 2) for a unique chance to see three series finalists in their natural habitat, minus host Bill Bellamy and the more controlled conditions of the studio environment. Saturday, 8pm/ $19.50 - $39.50
Heavenly bodies: Malicious Megs and her Right Coast Rollers are on the track as the Jersey Shore Roller Girls present their final match of the year on Saturday night; UNCENSORED photographer Joe Oppedisano recreates some of his most legendary shots at a “testosterone-laden” event for the leather set; the Horsehead Nebula is featured in a show of spectacular astrophotography at the Monmouth Museum.
7. Jersey Shore Roller Girls at Convention Hall. In a feature that appeared in oRBit last year, Jersey Shore Roller Girls president (and star blocker) Malicious Megs characterized her skating squads as “real local people… we’ve got nurses on our team; we have teachers, moms, store managers — everyone knows someone who knows someone on the team.” As co-owner and head trainer of the Roller Girls and its affiliated ‘A,’ ‘B’ and travel units, Meghan Callaghan has worked overtime to make flat-track derby a consistent draw on the Shore; an event featuring live music, radio station tie-ins and a carnival atmosphere that makes the most of its boardwalk arena setting. On Saturday, the Girls present their final intra-squad meet of 2009, a rematch between the Anchor Assassins and the Murder Beach Militia, with the game whistle blowing at 8pm (following the Tree Lighting ceremony inside the Grand Arcade of the Convention Hall complex). There’s a discount for advance purchases as well as for past or present members of the armed forces, and kids under 12 are admitted free. Saturday, 8pm/ $15 advance, $20 door
8. Brad Hurtado presents RIDE at the Stone Pony. “The Pony goes gay for a day!” proclaimed the ads for an event that tied into last summer’s Road Trip Weekend in Asbury — a bit off the mark, as it turns out, since here in the post-Thanksgiving weekend The House That Bruce Built opens its great big heart to the leather/ biker/ daddy/ bear communities, with this “testosterone laden After Party” to the Santa Saturday benefit at the nearby Paradise. Producer Brad Hurtado (of the website Asbury Park Events) promises a night of “sweaty, sexy fun” with special guest, coffeetable/pinup art photographer Joe Oppedisano(Testosterone; Uncensored) recreating the now-legendary image from which the party derives its name. Vinyl manipulation by “Asbury’s own sexy daddy,” DJ Meat ‘N More. Saturday, 9pm/ $12
The summer season may be long past, but the Asbury Park Film Initiative is keeping those projector bulbs burning, with offerings like FOUR SEASONS LODGE screening this Saturday afternoon.
9. FOUR SEASONS LODGE at The Showroom. New York Times reporter Andrew Jacobs turned documentary filmmaker with this, a fascinating group portrait of “a remarkable tribe” — an extended family of aging Holocaust survivors, seen assembling for what will be the last of their annual summer gatherings at a Catskills resort. It’s a life-affirming story told with “a captivating joie de vivre and a bracing sense of humor,” and it’s being presented by VJ Carbone and Marilyn Schlossbach’s always-welcome Asbury Park Film Initiative at that popcorn-peddling paragon of culture, The Showroom. Sunday, 4pm/ $8
10. Dr. Mazlin’s Astrophotos at Monmouth Museum. Forget the little thumbnail picture reproduced here; even a full screen shot couldn’t do justice to the awe and mystery you’ll experience when you set eyes upon the breathtaking deep-space wonders collected by amateur astrophotographer (and neurologist in his day gig) Dr. Steven Mazlin. “Hours of data are collected for a single image,” it says here, “which he then processes using a wide variety of techniques to create photos of galaxies, nebulas and star clusters.” A solo-show display of the good doctor’s overnight projects opens Sunday at at the Monmouth Museum (on the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College), with Mazlin scheduled to be present at an opening reception from 3 to 5pm. Exhibit continues during regular gallery hours through January 10, 2010. Sunday, 3-5pm/ FREE
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November 27, 2009
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