Posts Tagged ‘shows’

rory on the big screens

Posted in inspired by, technology on December 13th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

ITP big screens
ITP big screens -- horses of the apocolypse

Last night at the IAC building designed by Frank Gehry, ITP, the program at NYU where Rory is doing his residency, presented a night of projects on the big screens across from Chelsea Piers. Rory wore a suit that was part of the control of one of the projects, made with conductive thread and wireless radio controls. As the suit was touched in different ways, a circuit was completed through your body and large time-elapsed photos of gorgeous flowers opened and bloomed on the giant screens, closing down once your hands were removed from the suit.

ITP big screens
ITP big screens
ITP big screens

All of the projects were neat. It was fun, especially because of the free wine and hanging out with friends, which is the nicest thing about going to art events like this.

ITP big screens
ITP big screens
ITP big screens
ITP big screens

We went across the street afterward to Chelsea Piers and had holiday microbrews with delicious warm/soft pretzels and wings. Then we got into some shenanigans* that led us to getting a cheap cab ride back to the PATH, where we were able to return to JC and continue the drinking at a few stops: LITM (Love is the Message) for Tequila Iced Tea specials, and Skinner’s Loft for delicious Japanese Pretz and more holiday biers with a table full of friends.

*I was almost attacked by an angry Polish limousine driver, but Rory protected me with his stalwart silence and also walking away after apologizing twice and getting nowhere. I heart NYC.

Brown Recluse Sings: tiny apartment show

Posted in jersey city, music, photography on December 6th, 2008 by emily august – 2 Comments

BRS 2

BRS 1
BRS 3
BRS 4
BRS 5

tiny apartment show tonight

Posted in jersey city, music on December 4th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

snowstorm
Kevin Huelbig from snowstorm, Dec 2007.

Last time we had a show in our apartment was about a year ago, but tonight we are hosting Tim and Herbie from Brown Recluse Sings for a tiny apartment show, as they are stopping off during their mini-East-Coast tour! Its only two of the guys and they are old friends. Should be a nice, mellow evening, so message me if you want directions and more details!

Here is what you are in for:




photos from virb.

Sorry I’m still in hermit mood! Grad school applications are about 45% done, now, and the deadlines are all right now. I’ve also been spending a lot of free time babysitting for Rory’s nephew. I’ll be back soon, I promise.

Positively Fourth Street: Art and Music Festival

Posted in jersey city on October 5th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

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Ruby Nugent Loves Me

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skater shots taken by Rory

found: old photos

Posted in photography on October 2nd, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

nosebleeds08

Going through an old email account, I came across some photos that were emailed to me, scanned from 35mm rolls of film I took. This is a Nosebleeds show, put on by this kid Ian (from Down in Flames) who lived on an island in Monmouth County somewhere on the Navesink River. Its funny to get struck in the face by images that are linked to strong memories, especially in the case of lost photos like this. So much was going on at this time in my life that its weird to think how far we’ve come since, and in such good ways, all of us.

More on flickr.

8-bit Music at Lex Leonard

Posted in jersey city, technology on September 1st, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

143 columbus -- 8 bit music
143 columbus -- 8 bit music
143 columbus -- 8 bit music

Friday night we had the best time out in Jersey City I’ve had since moving here, and its for the dorkiest reasons. Literally two blocks from our front door, these guys put on a show with music created solely with low-bit technology like Gameboys and drum machines. They call it Chip Tunes but I sort of like to call it 8-bit or just plain nerd heaven, and we danced it up just to prove our love. Rory’s friend Mike and his girlfriend Rita met us there. It was so much fun.

tigers oh my

A self-portrait I did a while ago that explains everything about my relationship with video games and outdated technology. I don’t want to turn this blog into a classic gaming showcase, so I won’t. But I could. Oh my goodness, could I. The only trouble would be that I wouldn’t stop.

STRENGTH at the Lamppost

Posted in jersey city, music on September 1st, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

The show I hosted at The Lamppost in Jersey City went off great last weekend. Not everyone who said they were coming could show, but we had an amazing time. Lots of dancing, and happy to find the bar amenable to our whims. I was so happy to have our Portland friends here on the West Coast, and to have a pretty decent turnout from friends both new and old. Here are some of my favorite shots of the night.


strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost
strength at the lamppost

crazy disco show this weekend

Posted in jersey city, music on August 19th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

10PM: LIVE BAND FROM PORTLAND OREGON AND 2 DJ SETS
HOSTED BY EMILY AUGUST OF GOGODISTRO.COM
AND ALL YOUR FAVORITE FRIENDS WILL BE THERE
AND DID WE MENTION DANCING BECAUSE IT WILL BE

DOWNTOWN JERSEY CITY DANCE DANCE DANCE

WWW.GOGODISTRO.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/STRENGTH
WWW.PRIZE-PONY.COM
WWW.DANNYCASHCASH.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LAMPPOST

382 2ND STREET
B/W MONMOUTH & BRUNSWICK
10 PM FREE AND PLUS DANCING

ITS A BAR SO ITS 21+ PLEASE COME AND HANG AND BUY OUR WEST COAST FRIENDS A BEER; FIRST SHOW WE'VE PUT ON IN LIKE A MILLION YEARS!

inspired by: wall space

Posted in inspired by, photography on July 21st, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

Willie Mae Ladies Rock Camp 144
Willie Mae Ladies Rock Camp 147
The hallways of the school where Rock Camp is held. Brooklyn, NY.

Willie Mae Ladies Rock Camp 248
Backstage at the showcase yesterday at The Knitting Factory.
The vintage suitcase held lights I never had to use.

Girls Rock! Showcase 1 Today

Posted in photography on July 12th, 2008 by emily august – 2 Comments

care bears on fire at willie mae mini rock camp 2008

Today I’m heading out to photograph at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (ex-North 6th) for the first girls rock camp showcase of 2008! Campers will be performing original songs with the bands they formed while at camp for the past week or so. I’m so excited to see this in action!

Happy Birthday Allison!

Posted in Uncategorized on July 5th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

happy birthday allison!!

Just in case you weren’t aware, my roommate was born on the Fourth of July, and every display of fireworks is held in her honor. This year in celebration we got several free pairs of tickets, and recruited a group of friends to see Sonic Youth and The Feelies play in Battery Park. I am always impressed by the River to River summer events, because they are usually well organized and the sound quality is amazing, despite the noise of the city surrounding the event. The Feelies had a really nice, lush sound, and Sonic Youth were given a great mic setup, so drums, baseline, and walls of mind-splitting sound were all perceptibly distinct and just awesome. We should have packed a picnic for this event, but we were scared off by the threat of having to throw out certain things for security reasons, as if we were getting on an airplane. Next time, Kim Gordon, we will bring you some magic cookies.

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Next we hopped back on the PATH and got off near Exchange Place for amazing Mexican Food at Baja. I’ve never been there and didn’t know it existed, despite having lived in Hoboken and Jersey City for two years now. Baja is like Disney Land in Mexico… it was a total escape from reality because the decor was amazing, and the food was supremely satisfying. Allison pointed out they were playing Brazilian Girls, which was brilliant.

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fourth 039

Finally, we took a tip from what we learned last year on the Fourth of July: why hike to the waterfront when we could see fireworks from the roof? Don’t tell our landlord, but we climbed the fire escape and were able to see both Jersey City and a tiny corner of the Macy’s Manhattan fireworks right from the roof! If we didn’t love our apartment before, we do now.

The rainy, hazy weather made it impossible to capture any fireworks on film, but here are some shots of the street below:


fourth 031
fourth 032

Rory Nugent Can’t Lose

Posted in jersey city, technology on May 12th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

Rory graduates on Saturday from NYU. He’s all done building robots and earning his Masters degree in Interactive Telecommunications. Tonight we went to visit him at the spring ITP show, which is also open to the public again tomorrow night.

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can view Rory’s thesis presentation online. Also be sure to check out Eugene’s presentation, which has a film starring Rory that was filmed in our apartment (and “our” park) in Jersey City. I promise they are worth the wait to download.

PS If you go to the show, take a minute to sit down and watch Nancy Garcia’s presentation. She’s got a small room set up with about six television monitors displaying her thesis. Its calming. She is also playing live with Thurston Moore on Friday!

Photos of the bands from the Willie Mae mini rock camp for girls.

Posted in music, photography on April 8th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

willie mae mini camp 2008

So, I never got around to publicly posting any of the photos I took for the Willie Mae organization last month, and there is a reason for that. The campers signed media releases, but I can’t make the photos that I took open to public view because they belong to the organization to use at their discretion. I am sad about this, only because there were some awesome pictures that I took and would love to share with you all. This agreement is something that I discussed with the organizers of the event in advance of my signing on to come and take photos, so I am more than happy to comply.

One group of photos I can share, however, is that of the bands who came to the camp to perform. I suppose its something to do with the expectation of privacy; bands coming to perform on stage know that they are in the public eye. Good thing, too, because you should definitely check out these amazing (and young!) female-fronted bands. There is nothing more inspiring than watching a younger generation pick up the instruments you play and make something amazing from them. These kids are seriously good.

First up was Magnolia. During their set, the gals switched places, each playing songs on guitar or drums and singing. I loved their outfits, and they hung out all day with their friends, enjoying the camp and socializing. They seemed to be the youngest performers, but they handled the gig like pros.

magnolia at willie mae mini camp 2008

Next up were the stylish duo known as Mod Rocket. I was taken by their fashion choices and really down to earth personalities. They aren’t usually a duo, but they told me that their bassist couldn’t be there because she was sick in the hospital with something. They weren’t even going to do their set, but I’m so glad they did. The singer has such a cool voice, and their songs just have a really great musicality with an alt-folk vibe. I bet we’ll see more of them in the future of Indie Rock.

mod rocket at willie mae mini camp 2008
mod rocket at willie mae mini camp 2008

Lastly, at the end of the day, we were all treated to a performance by Care Bears on Fire! They’ve been getting a lot of press lately, and they totally deserve it. They are so good! And that name! Unfortunately, one of their amps blew out, pushing back the performance by a good chunk of time, but by the time they were ready to rock, I was blown away. Their music is solid, and they have such a great attitude on stage. Totally entertaining and I wish these kids all the luck in the world for continued success in the media.

the girls of care bears on fire at willie mae mini rock camp 2008
care bears on fire at willie mae mini rock camp 2008

After the show I had to trek back to New Jersey and hop on a ride home to Rory’s house for Easter. I spent the next few days in a sort of afterglow from the event. The show was really inspiring, and just being around the campers all day long as they picked up on how to play different instruments was enough for Allison and I to start paying more attention to our own guitars at home.

For any ladies in the New York area who are interested, you can help the organization, either by volunteering or attending the fundraiser event Ladies Rock Camp. If I can scrounge up the money, I will definitely be there!

Also, be sure to check out the film Girls Rock! now playing in select locations across the U.S.

Related: All of my posts on girls rock!

Tomorrow: Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls!

Posted in music on March 21st, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

Mini-Rock-Camp-flyer

Something amazing is happening tomorrow at Union Pool! You may remember me posting about how I was doing some promotions for the Girls Rock! movie. Well, tomorrow I get to attend and photograph a mini-rock camp for girls. The mini-camp is being held by the Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls, an organization that hosts a rock camp in NYC every summer, as well as an amazing Ladies Rock Camp, which serves as a fundraiser for the organization so that they can provide financial aid to campers who otherwise may not be able to afford to come to camp.

Advance tickets through the web site are $10 per person (18 and under).
Adults come free with a kid.
This event is best suited for kids ages 5 & up.
Adults who wish to attend without kids will be charged $12 at the door.

If you can’t make it, but would like to help out, you can make a donation on the web site, or bid on Fender Stratocaster “Girls Rock!” guitar right now on eBay!

To volunteer for future events, check out the volunteering page. Check out girlsrockcamp.org to read about the history of Girls Rock Camp, and how this all got started in the first place.

Allison and I will both be there, so if you can make it, please say hello.

Rock On!

Girls Rock! the movie

Posted in music on February 24th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

girls rock!

A few years ago, I lived with a dear friend and roommate of mine who had a lovely house on mountain (still does!) that was just perfect for putting on shows and hosting parties. We put on a show to benefit Rock ā€˜n’ Roll Camp for Girls in a drive they did to have 50 shows in 50 states in order to raise funds for the camp to continue. Basically, the organization runs camps for girls to attend in order to learn self confidence through musical education.

I’ve taken this directly from their site:

Mission
The Girls Rock Camp Alliance is an international coalition of organizations whose shared mission is to empower girls and women using the tools of music education to foster self-esteem and confidence. To this end, the GRCA promotes, strengthens, and expands services provided by its members.

Core values
We value the power of music as a means to create personal and social change;
We value efforts that actively expand opportunities for girls and women;
We value positive approaches to fighting sexism;
We value integrity, honesty and respect;
We value appropriate sharing of resources, cooperation, and collaboration;
We value using our collective voice to further our mission;
We value diversity.

So, super cool, right? I am so excited to see a documentary about the experience of girls in this camp that I decided to sign up and get promotional materials to spread the word! I sent out a mass email to friends asking for their support, and it looks like a bunch of us will be attending the opening weekend on March 7th. Last night while we were out on the town in a local bar, I snuck some flyers and stickers onto a table, and I’ve got my sights set on bringing posters to local coffee shops where you just know some local musicians have got to be spending a lot of their time. The posters are huge! I wonder if anyone will let me even hang them!

the best sticker

Anyway, included in the press kit were a ton of amazing stickers from the organization. I would love to send some out to you if you are interested. Please email me your name and address to my gmail account, which is emilyaugust.

Hooray for Girls Rock Camp and the movie!!

NYC PopFest Fundraiser Show

Posted in music on January 29th, 2008 by emily august – Be the first to comment

PopFest Fundraiser Show

My friends Dana and Colin (of The Smittens) are in this amazing band called Let’s Whisper. This weekend they make their NYC debut at a benefit show for NYC Popfest.

Here is the lineup:
Baskervilles 11-Midnight
The Smittens Present “Let’s Whisper” 10-10:45
One Happy Island 9-9:45

Let’s Whisper is on a Depeche Mode covers compilation, and on myspace.