From our mail bag. Why do we keep hearing about this shit happening at Union Pool?

We were in the back room at Union Pool on Wednesday night for an event. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the back room of Union Pool, but there’s a bar, a stage, and a balcony with stairs leading up to it.The place was really crowded with spectators that night and there were roughly seven people on the stairs, including my girlfriend, J., and 2 other friends of ours. I was on stage.
My buddy J. was the only black guy in the whole place.
Early in the event this white guy, likely in his 40′s—beard, darker hair, medium build, short hair, pretty non-descript—goes plowing up the stairs through the people to get to the balcony, muttering about people being on the stairs, but really shoves J. hard. J. says something to the effect of ‘Stop pushing people dude’ and the guy gets in his face with ‘just get out of my way’ and goes on up.
Soon after he comes plowing back down, but this time puts his hand on J.’s face and shoves him, very much singling him out. J., quite naturally says again ‘Yo dude, stop pushing people’ and the guy gets in his face again.
Then, he goes back down, gets the two bouncers, who come to the stairs, not even knowing who they’re supposed to be looking for. The guy points to J., they put their hands on him, he says ‘get your fucking hands off me.’ One of the bouncers says something about J.’s ‘attitude’ and tells him he’s got to go, which he does, with my other two friends following him out.
I’m on stage for all of this so I missed the whole thing. I got this story from my girlfriend and all three of the other guys, plus some girl who was standing on the stairs too. They were all saying how weird it was.
Important note: after the show, I’m telling this story to a friend of mine’s boyfriend, who says to me ‘oh yeah I used to work here I’m not surprised. They’re totally racist here, this shit happens all the time’
I didn’t get to talk to him long enough to find out who ‘they’ are. But wtf.
Later i found this:
http://gothamist.com/2007/06/26/union_pools_unc.php
and
http://gridskipper.com/57893/union-pool-in-williamsburg#c1413170
Bottom line: J. was the only black guy there, and it was packed. Even if this isn’t a race thing, the guy was a prick regardless, and they seem to have a record of this kind of shit. J. did nothing wrong, nothing I wouldn’t have done myself.
I’m particularly pissed since my band has played there many many times and brought them plenty of drink-buying people, we even had a record-release show there a couple years ago which sold out. This particular night brought a huge crowd too, and while i’m doing my monkey act on stage, they’re throwing out my friend, who didn’t even want to raise a stink over this. All three of them are like ‘hey man it is what it is, don’t sweat it’
An added sting is that these guys don’t hang out in ‘hipsterland’. I.e. they’re the kinds of guys who use that word. Know what i mean? So I talk them into coming to this event my other friends and I put on, and they get kicked out inside of 20 minutes. Just fanning the flames of the ‘fuck williamsburg’ thing.

What are you dressing up as tonight, anyway? I’m going to be Edie Sedgwick ‚Äì but Edie Sedgwick with a gash on her face, since I fell on the sidewalk Wednesday night…. best Halloween ever, people!
I know we’ve given you plenty of suggestions for this evening, but a few other things have blipped onto my radar – some Halloween-related, some not:
1. NITA NITA


I really love this place, and tonight they are doing a nice lil’ local Halloween bash. Stop by for lovely food, drinks, and hopefully some terrifying and/or ironic costumes.

2. ETM host Halloween @ Lit

c/o Going.com

I really HATE this place, but the party sounds like tons of fun tonight.
Per the folks at Lit:
“Electric Tickle Machine hosts Halloween 2008 @ Lit Lounge, NYC w/ Special Guests Dinowalrus, La Defens, & DJ Snacktown.
$6
OPEN BAR 9p-10p
Confetti, Costumes, Cartwheels and Commotion.”

3. Danielson @ Knitting Factory

Now for the non-Halloweenish events. However I’m sure the Danielson show at The Knitting Factory will be festive in its own right. Afterall, who doesn’t love oddball pop-gospel from NJ? And they wear fun costumes all the time too! Also playing are Cryptacize……

4. Jaguar Love @ Mercury Lounge


For those who want to sweat, spazz, and thrash about tonight, go see Jaguar Love at Mercury Lounge. The band is comprised of ex-members of Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, and the sound is on par with the previous projects. With special guests Polysics, Black Gold, DJ Oil!

And there’s lots of shit going on. Here are our picks:
• Todd P + Panache Big Halloween Bash feat. Matt & Kim [From Flavorpill]

In honor of the year’s scariest day, Brooklyn scene-maker Todd P and booking dynamo Panache have brought together a lineup of both frightening (AIDS Wolf) and not-so-frightening (Ponytail) bands. But whoever’s on stage, don’t expect a laid-back evening of apple-bobbing; everyone on the bill deals in intense live experiences. New York stalwarts Matt & Kim and Child Abuse are joined by the Japanese blues-via-noise freaks DMBQ and improbably resuscitated UK punks the Homosexuals, giving the proceedings an international flair. While the music is the main attraction, the show also serves as a chance to check out new venue Danbro Studios, housed in the 19th-century-era building which was formerly Goldenrod Brewery. [more information here]

• Ghostly International + Throne of Blood 2008 [From Paper]

Ghostly International and Throne of Blood team up for the second year, throwing one of the best all-out dance parties in town tonight. They’re bringing in New York based electro/indie artist, Audition, synth-rock duo, Zombi, from Pittsburgh, and DJ sets from The Rapture, Daniel Wang, James F*cking Friedman, Dances with White Girls and Worst Friends. And get creative with your outfit, the late night costume contest hands out cold hard cash to winners.

• Bryan Scary’s Glitter Odyssey (in Gowanus) [From MyOpenBar]

A Halloween fete to benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, with burlesque dancers, body-painters, a Human Floor (oooh — fetish-y), graffiti artists and more. We won’t dis, since it’s for cancer. Performances by Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, The Rosewood Thieves, Heloise & The Savoir Faire, Sam Champion, DJ Treetop Brann & Hotcoals. Your finest Halloween attire is mandated. Buy tickets here — for these bands and the holiday, it’s a steal. [more information and tickets here]

• Brahloween 4 feat. Oneida w/ Awesome Color at Secret Project Robot (210 Kent Ave)
• EVE meets ADAM on Halloween at Silent Barn
• And of course, the Halloween Parade begins at 7pm in Greenwich Village

There is good news and bad news. First, the bad news…my camera was acting up, and I couldn’t get a good angle to get any shots. Good news is that many of you Flickr obsessed took some great shots and now I have images to accompany my review. Yay for collective cloud computing!!!
So here we go.
I think the Social Registry is one of those labels that can truly lay claim to being a family –not just a business. Churning out some of the more interesting releases from bands like Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills, Gang Gang Dance, Telepathe, and Growing, each band has a very individualized sound that seems to inform each other.
The showcase was by far one of my favorites in all my years of attending CMJ. Peppered between the bands were DJs Andrew Kou, Josh Wildman, Leo Fitzpatrick, and Dan Hougland, making for a jamming dance party between sets. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to catch some of the newer signees Mike Bones or Sian Alice Group. However, having seen them before, I’m sure they gave great performances.
Psychic Ills keep getting better to me. What was once a combination of noise, psyche and chaotic elements has turned into a darker, more fully realized psyche band. They’re one of the few bands of this kind that can hold my attention throughout the whole set. I hope you feel the same way next time you check them out.
Next up was Growing. I have been to more Growing shows than I can count since living in New York–and watched them mature into the band they are today. While previously they were more into a droney, nature aesthetic, now the music is slightly more abstract and beat driven while maintaining a loyalty to the affect guitar and samples; this makes for a more powerful, visceral sound experience that becomes more welcoming with every show. And, I was very psyched to see it with a sound system that could actually project the depth of their work.
The show culminated with arguably the crown jewel of the label Gang Gang Dance. Doubling as their record release show, Gang Gang Dance provided a very energetic set, including a very lively and charismatic version of their latest single House Jam.
My only complaint is that I wish there were less people at the show. It was very packed throughout most of the night and sometimes made it hard for short people like myself to see the set…and take pictures.
Growing

Image C/O ihateanarchists
Gang Gang Dance

Image C/O DLT XII

Watch the states turn blue on a big screen, surrounded by booze, music and food at Brooklyn’s 3rd Ward. From 3rd Ward:

You voted, Now celebrate the end of an era with us! Expect live election coverage projected 10ft. x 10 ft., DJs, drinks and eats. Plus, compete to show your patriotism and be awarded, 3rd Ward style.

Nag says they’ll have “pork barrels” too! For more info, email events@3rdward.com.

img via racked
Gothamist caught wind of a promotion going on at Park Slope’s Babeland next week. By bringing in your voter registration card Tuesday through Nov. 11th, you’re entitled to a free sex toy! For the ladies, Babeland will hook you up with a Silver Bullet, while for the dudes, you can pick up a Maverick!
From Gothamist:

All you have to do is “bring your voter registration card, ballot stub or your word of honor that you cast a ballot on November 4th” and they’ll hook you up with the goods, which will probably help keep stress levels down until the election results are in.

So there you have it. Go vote on Tuesday, and whether or not you get laid for doing so, Babeland will make sure you go to bed happy.
In related news, does anybody have an extra McCain t-shirt lying around? I need it for my Halloween costume, and am not about to pay the McCain campaign 60 bucks to ship me one overnight. C’mon Brooklyn, there’s got to be some former GOP supporters out there….right? If so, email me plz!

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.

From Kayrock’s website

Espeis archetype invited Kayrock Screenprinting to create a mural outside their gallery. With Halloween and the presidential election just around the bend, we created a wheat paste mural that combines 35 looming issues with 20 leering monster heads. All prints are 3 colors on text weight 19″x25″ paper.
Monsters were drawn by Wolfy Part II, Karl “Kayrock” LaRocca, Zach Lehrhoff, Anna Haifisch, Christeen Francis and Brady Dollarhide. Looming issues were provided by the times, the media, the presidential candidates and you.
Barack Obama has a plan that addresses 25 pressing issues. McCain’s plan only deals with three.
We will have monster head prints for sale at:
Prints Gone Wild
Supreme Trading
213 North 8th, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Saturday Nov 1 (6pm-midnight) and Sunday Nov 2 (12-6pm)

More monster heads and a shot of the mural at kayrock.org.

This people are so creepy, it’s hard to watch. [Thanks Rumproast]

If you’ve got an iPhone, Apple just announced that you can now get free WiFi in like, every Starbucks and McDonald’s in the city. What they forgot to mention, is the majority of our coffee houses offer free WiFi anyways, so, suck it AT&T!
More info at MacRumors