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Sunday, February 28, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-50/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's keep sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter (at least one subscriber has confirmed that this is really good): rinse a big tea cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 (weekly)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$13
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Maria Chavez feat. Sandy Ewen: RE:pairing, 2021
MUSIC / DANCE / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/maria-chavez-with-sandy-ewen-repairing-2021/https://roulette.org/event/maria-chavez-with-sandy-ewen-repairing-2021/
Sound artist Maria Chavez reteams with fellow Pauline Oliveros alum guitarist/visual artist/architect Sandy Ewen, returning to some musical collaborations they did in the past with new visuals by Ewen. Unfortunately, Roulette is consistently insensitively misdirected in their remote presentation of concert visuals, so don't get your hopes up too high for those.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: El Capitán (boy do I love this cocktail): pour 1 oz. Pisco and 1/2 oz. each of dry Vermouth and sweet Vermouth, with1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with 2 olives (need I specify green?).
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
pt.forward
MUSIC
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Twitch
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/2/27/tqc-ptfwd
Experimental sounds from "Central Illinois and beyond" (if you can imagine anything beyond Central Illinois). Brooklyn chauvinists will be happy to know that our own Cassie Weiland (yeah, she was born in Illinois) will have a piece played by guitarist Jamie Monck — as will the excellent Gulli Björsson of Iceland, which is far from both Brooklyn and Central Illinois. Molly Jones, one of the stars of Chicago's extremely fertile experimental music scene (now THAT'S beyond Central Illinois), will improvise. And more more more!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pistolet: pour 1 oz. Cognac, 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and simple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne (see what I did?).
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$19
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Dorflinger (named no doubt for the famous cut-glass manufacturer) will cloud your mind: pour 2 oz. Gin (Plymouth by preference) (I'd like to try Monkey 47 in this, actually) and 1 oz. Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Add 1 dash or 2 of orange bitters.
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
HOLDTIGHT: Bite #4: Closet
DANCE / THEATER
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 (available through MARCH 1)
8:00 PM
the cell Stream
$5-$25
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thecelltheatre/488495#
The HOLDTIGHT dance/theater company has created a platform that will guide participants on a journey digging deep into their inner "closets". I don't know about you guys, but if my inner closet is anything like my outer closets, it's going to take me way past March 1 to go through it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Beautiful: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of the best Cognac you have and Grand Marnier into a Brandy snifter.
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Hypercube
MUSIC
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
7:30 PM
UMBC Stream
YouTube
Free
https://music.umbc.edu/events/?id=92397
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCblU02pAw9C5jnDZSGNs_Hw
There is no other "classical" "New Music" ensemble that sounds like Hypercube, with their guitar, sax, piano, and percussion. They're exciting, and they choose great material.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: L'Amour en Fuite: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc, and 1/4 oz. St-Germain into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, February 27, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Low Key Chamber Concert: Sean Satin & Gene Pritsker
MUSIC
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
5:00 PM
Composers Concordance
FaceBook
Free
https://www.facebook.com/ComposersConcordance/?ref=page_internal
Classical guitar vs. electric guitar? Classical guitar with electric guitar? Electric guitar isn't classical?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bellisimo Aperitivo: pour 2 oz. sweet Vermouth, 1-1/2 oz. Fino Sherry, 2 teaspoons of Fernet, and 1/4 teaspoon of Maraschino liqueur, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Express a lemon twist into the drink and use the rind as a garnish.
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Friday, February 26, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Lesley Flanigan: Headphone Space
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/lesley-flanigan-headphone-space/
Lesley Flanigan — one of the best, most compelling electronic sound artists working right now — gets up close and personal. Although she'll be onstage at Roulette, the sounds she makes using her voice and minimal sine-wave electronics won't be amplified in the hall; no one will be there to hear them. They will only be heard by Flanigan on her headphones and transmitted to be heard by the audience, preferably on their headphones.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Water Lily: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Cointreau, Crème de Violette, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, February 26, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Joe Hendel: Tolerance Party #4: "The Signal Through the Noise"
THEATER
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 (available on demand through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM
DimlyWith Productions
the cell Stream
$5-$25
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thecelltheatre/484762#
Continuing this interactive theater piece about six people brought together in a video chat by an unknown entity, given what they think are written instructions supporting what they think is a larger purpose. Can they learn to act together? Are they even understanding the situation correctly?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cobbler's Dream: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/4 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/4 oz. St-Germain, with 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or a cocktail cherry (why choose, say I).
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Friday, February 26, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Theater in Quarantine: Closet Works
THEATER
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
9:00 PM
Theater in Quarantine Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE7liI91m0k
Can you turn an East Village closet into a white-box theater? Joshua William Gelb says yes — and he's right!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Widow's Kiss No. 2: pour 1-1/2 oz. Calvados, 1/2 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine, and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Nevermind the Noise & Dashon Burton: Remote Collaboration
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
8:00 PM
Nevermind the Noise Stream
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRIP36e_R_c
Bass-baritone Dashon Burton is a terrific singer. So one looks forward with curiosity to this collaboration with the NYU Alt Classical collective.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Second Marriage: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon and Calvados, and 1/2 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sukunthary Svay: Re-Member(ing) Khmer
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-sokunthary-svay-re-membering-khmer
Cambodian-descended poet Sukunthary Svay reflects on the broad cultural implications of her attempt to become fluent in her heritage language of Khmer during Quarantine. She's responding to a piece by Fluxus associate Mieko Shiomi.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Garnish a glass of Pastis with some star anise and it'll be like you're in Cambodia during the evil days of French colonization.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Black Artists' Matter
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
Free-$30
http://dixonplace.org/performances/black-artists-matter-vol-iv/
Various performance, theater, multidisciplinary, and puppet(!!!) performers.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: King Cole: pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. Fernet, and 1 teaspoon of Cane Syrup (or 1-1/2 teaspoons of Simple Syrup) into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Ravi Coltrane Freedom Trio
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-ravi-coltrane-freedom-trio
Ravi Coltrane would be a good saxophonist even if his father were Kenny G.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nobody ever named a cocktail after Kenny G. "Did you just call me Coltrane?": stick 4 teaspoons of loose Jasmine tea into 500 ml of Rye in a jar. Seal. Let sit for about 4 hours. Pour 2 oz. of the infused Rye and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist. (The rest of the infused Rye will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.) (Which is not to say it'll last indefinitely.)
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Galya Bisengalieva & Sana Serkebaeva: The Vanishing Point
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
6:00 PM
Body / Space
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/galya-bisengalieva-and-sana-serkebaeva
Kazakh-British violinist/electronic soundscaper Galya Bisengalieva's new album Aralkum (treating the cheery topic of the shrinking of what used to be the vast Aral Sea) comes out sounding New Age — but you soon see it's deeper and darker than that, in keeping with its subject (and quite good). Bisengalieva's Kazakh-Brit fellow, artist/filmmaker Sana Serkebaeva, provides the visuals for videos for two tracks from the album.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: They drink tons of vodka in Kazakhstan. I'm not going to generally advocate Vodka cocktails or anything, but: Kamikaze. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Vodka and 1 oz. each of Cointreau and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge. Think of how much better it would be if the base liquor were, let's say, Tequila.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 & 25, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Ensemble Connect: What Does It Mean to Be Moved?
MUSIC / DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2021/02/24/Ensemble-Connect-Up-Close-0730PM
This show is in the running for the worst title of the Quarantine. But the program, as usual with Ensemble Connect, is piquant, stuff you don't hear every day (and, in these cases, presenting a pretty pungent sonic profile): Boulanger, Boulogne, Paquito D'Rivera, Hindemith, Koechlin, Villa-Lobos. Plus: dance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rabo de Galo: pour 1-1/2 oz. Cachaça and 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cynar, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a tumbler or rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Julia Den Boer: The Underfolding
MUSIC
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/julia-den-boer-the-underfolding/
Master pianist Julia Den Boer does a solo recital featuring a lot of composers whose names come up on this List with some frequency (one accompanying at a drag performance art show last week!). I'll just mention one, Linda Catlin Smith, cuz her dusty dreamy Ravel-on-the-backroad scores are particular faves of mine.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In honor of Smith's current residence, La Canadiense: pour 2 oz. Canadian Whiskey, 1 oz. Joven Tequila, and 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup, with 1 dash each of apple bitters and old-fashioned bitters, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Add the peel of 1/2 of an orange. Muddle. Pour into double Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Elsewhere Sound Space: Starchild & The New Romantic
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
7:00 PM
Elsewhere Live Stream
Twitch
Free (registration required)
https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/2021-02-23-elsewhere-sound-space-ep-02-starchild-the-new-romantic-live/
To be honest, I found the first Elsewhere Sound Space variety/talk show last month kind of jejune. But you couldn't foreswear the musical segments. Tonight, R&B-oriented pop omnivore Starchild & The New Romantic is not someone you want to miss (at least if you're me).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Moonwalk: pour 1 oz. each of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice, with two drops of rose water, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: Mount Tremper Arts Residency
MUSIC
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
7:00 PM
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Stream
YouTube
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-feb23
The splendid International Contemporary Ensemble shares some fruits of its residency this month at Mount Tremper Arts in the Catskills. And that includes a collaboration with space cowboy (and huge List fave) Rick Burkhardt, a piece by the wild Euromodernist Helga Arias, and pieces from an album the Ensemble is recording of the unexpected and compelling work of members of the Iranian Female Composers Association. And . . . something by Pauline Oliveros, who has provided many of us with a soundtrack for the Quarantine even if she didn't live to experience it herself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Royal Smile: pour 1 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Applejack, Grenadine, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Café La MaMa: Resident Artist Showcase
THEATER / MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
7:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/resident-artist-showcase/
Well this is a real all-star show (if you obsessively follow Alt Theater and Performance). Avant-R&B music-theatermaker Justin Hicks; Joshua William Gelb and Katie Rose McLaughlin and their wonderful (literally) closeted Theater in Quarantine (i.e., the plays are staged remotely in their respective closets); and visionary ritualist Native American multidisciplinary performance artist Timothy White Eagle — all on one bill!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sherpa: pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1/4 oz. each of Curaçao and Allspice/Pimento Dram, with 2 dashes of chocolate bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 & 25, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Feb 23, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 4:30 PM
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Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 28, 2021
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, February 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 28, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, February 22, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Pia Wilson: Iseult et Tristan
THEATER
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021
7:00 PM
Experiments
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/iseult-et-tristan/
A contemporary retelling of the Tristan and Isolde legend — except in this version, Iseult is the warrior (a boxer, actually) and Tristan is the healer.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Really you should drink a magic love potion — but I can't find a recipe for one. Lacking that, there's a Love Potion Cocktail, but yuck; and an Isolde Cocktail, but it calls for wild strawberries, so unless you're reading this in someplace like Buenos Aires or Sydney or Capetown, you're out of luck. So we have two possibilities: Irish Maid: muddle 2 cucumber slices in a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 oz. Irish Whiskey, 1/2 oz. St-Germain, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with another cucumber slice. OR Cornwall Negroni: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of Punt e Mes, sweet Vermouth, and Campari, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Flame an orange peel into the drink and use the flamed peel as a garnish.
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Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 12:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 28, 2021
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 28, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – 28, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, February 21, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-49/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's keep sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter (at least one subscriber has confirmed that this is really good): rinse a big tea cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, February 21, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Million Tongues Festival Part 5: Celestial Earth Strings
MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
3:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/2/21/million-tongues-festival-part-5-celestial-earth-strings
It's a good thing this installment of Chicago's mighty psych festival focuses on relatively uncompelling (at least to me) acoustic folkie music. Cuz otherwise the conflict with the Bang on a Can Marathon would be unbearable.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Lincoln: rim a rocks glass with salt. Pour 1-1/2 oz. White Whiskey and 1 oz. each of Cointreau and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rimmed glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Sunday, February 21, 2021, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Bang on a Can Marathon
MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
1:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://live.bangonacan.org/february2021marathon/
This installment of Bang on a Can's virtualized marathons this season consists entirely of new commissions. The list of participating composers and artists is so great it would be invidious to single any out. Just watch this. If you read this List, you really need to.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This is a long show. Let's have a bunch of Aperol Mists: pour 1 oz. each of Aperol and lemon juice into a pint glass over ice. Top with Belgian (or Belgian-style) wheat beer. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, February 21, 2021, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Grandma Loves You
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020
12:30 – 5:00 PM
The City Reliquary
350 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/545299716443009/
An outdoor queer market — which, so that there's no misunderstanding, means that there will be queer vendors, not for sale. But more to the point for this List's purposes, there will be live drag performances all afternoon, hosted by Fantasy Grandma — and including the participation of an actual composer, Matthew Ricketts.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cross the street to St. Anselm, for grilled meats (and grilled other things).
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 (weekly)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$13
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Walter Hooker: Chimes
MUSIC / DANCE / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/william-hooker-chimes/
Drummer/composer Walter Hooker has been a mainstay of the NYC avant-jazz scene for decades. So a new extended piece by him for percussion, electronics, dance, and film is pretty fucking exciting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Swine & Roses: rinse a rocks glass with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Gold Rum and Cognac and 1/2 oz. Falernum, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$19
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Dorflinger (named no doubt for the famous cut-glass manufacturer) will cloud your mind: pour 2 oz. Gin (Plymouth by preference) (I'd like to try Monkey 47 in this, actually) and 1 oz. Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Add 1 dash or 2 of orange bitters.
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Floordoor Records Meets London
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
4:00 PM
Floordoor Records Live Stream
Facebook
Free
https://roulette.org/event/william-hooker-chimes/
In celebration of a new album by Brooklyn-in-London Alt Popster Arminda K, Floordoor Records spotlights some of its artists and friends resident in Brooklyn and in London. Don't know much about the London scene now that I can barely leave my apartment, but the Brooklyn contingent includes at least two bands I just love, groovy Psych-Soul-Popsters Madam West and Dada-Pop-Punkers WSABI Fox. And the single from Arminda K's upcoming album is really good!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Downtown: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse, pineapple juice, and lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Floordoor Records Meets London
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
4:00 PM
Floordoor Records Live Stream
Twitch
Free
http:// https://www.twitch.tv/floordoorfam/
In celebration of a new album by Brooklyn-in-London Alt Popster Arminda K, Floordoor Records spotlights some of its artists and friends resident in Brooklyn and in London. Don't know much about the London scene now that I barely leave my apartment, but the Brooklyn contingent includes at least two bands I just love, groovy Psych-Soul-Popsters Madam West and Dada-Pop-Punkers WSABI Fox. And the single from Arminda K's upcoming album is really good!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Downtown: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse, pineapple juice, and lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 9:00 PM
Ahn Vo: BABYLIFT
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 – 21, 2021
8:00 PM
Target Margin Theater
No price
https://www.targetmargin.org/babylift/
This is the most List Listing in List history. Multidisciplinary performance artist Ahn Vo queers the Viet Nam War, the civil rights movement, current leftist activism, linear masculinist history, you name it. Thing is, you can't attend it. There's no audience. There's no stream. There's no recording. "The act of performing will be its own performance."
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Friday, February 19, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020 (biweekly)
7:30 PM
Contemporaneous
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-community-salon-tickets-109687016820
A virtual salon. Artists and performers can share pieces in whatever stage of completion. Everyone else can comment and converse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northern Harvest Buck: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Shake in 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a mint sprig.
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Friday, February 19, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, February 19, 2021, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Downtown Variety: Serbia Edition
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
4:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/serbia-edition/
This month Downtown Variety focuses on the Alt Theater (etc.) scene in Serbia. One can only guess it will be sharply political.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Susina Sour: pour 3/4 oz. each of Slivovitz, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and Honey Syrup, and 1/2 oz. Gin, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry skewered with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, February 19, 2021, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Anh Vo: OPENING RITUAL for BABYLIFT
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
1:00 – 6:00 PM
Target Margin Live Stream
Spreaker
Zoom
Free
https://www.targetmargin.org/babylift/
Anh Vo is spending the weekend performing a piece with no audience, no streaming, no recording: just a performance for its own sake. But he and his presenters at Target Margin Theater apparently couldn't resist adding a public aspect. The way it works is this: a mass (lower case "m") ritual on Zoom, where the audience members are invited to unmute themselves when ready and make a prayer or, really, any sound. These sonic submissions will be abstracted by musical collaborator Isaac Silber, who will feed the abstracted sound back into the theater where Vo is performing and out into the virtual space where the audience is watching and listening. Audio will be on Spreaker, video on Zoom.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Greenpoint: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and yellow Chartreuse, with 1 dash of orange bitters and 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Julia Santoli feat. Caroline Partamian & Suzueri: Soleil Solace
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-julia-santoli-soleil-solace-caroline-partamian-and-suzueri
Multi-discliplinary artist Julia Santoli does fabulous things with voice and stuff. Here she teams for a remote collaboration with two other provocative artists: sound and visual artist Caroline Partamian and pianistic soundscaper Suzueri.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tequila Soleil: pour 1/2 oz. each of Reposado Tequila, Cappelletti or Campari, and blanc Vermouth into a Collins glass. Top with 4-6 oz. (to taste: the more, the bitterer) of very chilled I.P.A. Add ice.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE
DANCE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 (then on demand through MARCH 4)
8:00 PM
Joyce Theater Live Stream
$25
https://www.joyce.org/ronald-k-brown-evidence
This is a little Mainstream for this List, but what the hell. Ronald K. Brown's African-inflected modern dance is consistently excellent: vital and rigorous. And Brown's dancers are consistently beyond excellent. This program reprises notable solos and duets from Brown's repertoire.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dawa: put 1 quartered skin-on lime at the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Crush them a little. Add ice and pour in 2 oz. Vodka. Muddle the lime with a honey stick coated with honey. Really go at it.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tafelmusik: Il Seicento
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
8:00 PM
Tafelmusik Stream
$25
https://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/il-seicento
The emergence of the Baroque in 17th Century Italy.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cardinale: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, dry Vermouth, and Campari into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with 1/2 of an orange wheel.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Nevermind the Noise & Matt Evans: Remote Collaboration
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
8:00 PM
Nevermind the Noise Stream
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSeKxcO7WNA
Percussionist/composer Matt Evans plays in two of my favorite bands — Tigue and Bearthoven — and his solo projects are pretty fine, too. So of course this collaboration with the NYU Alt Classical collective gets a very hearty nod.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: dRUMmer Boy: pour 2-1/2 oz. Gold Rum, 3/4 oz. dry Vemrouth, and 2 teaspoons of Maple Syrup, with 4 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kathleen Supové: Crazy Pandemic Blowout
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/kathleen-supove-crazy-pandemic-blowout/
To be clear, this is in fact a piano recital and not a video of Kathleen Supové getting her hair done. Supové is, of course, an excellent and extremely exciting pianist. But perhaps more to the point, her taste is probing enough that you can assume that whatever new pieces dealing with the emotional vicissitudes of Quarantine she has chosen will be worth hearing. (Among the featured composers are List faves inti figgis-vizueta and Nicole Lizée!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In honor of Nicole Lizée, La Canadiense: pour 2 oz. Canadian Whiskey, 1 oz. Joven Tequila, and 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup, with 1 dash each of apple bitters and old-fashioned bitters, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Add the peel of 1/2 of an orange. Muddle. Pour into double Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Loser's Lounge: Battle of the One-Hit Wonders
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 (further installments on MARCH 4 & 18)
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Stream
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2020/j/losers-lounge---joes-pub-live/
Skewed snark-popsters Loser's Lounge play two One-Hit Wonder hits and then the audience votes on which one-hit wins. Like a battle of the bands, but for songs rather than bands!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmopolitan (a real cocktail invented by a real mixologist, no matter what people say): pour 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. each of Cointreau and cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime slice and an indulgent smile.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Bell Orchestre: A Performance Film
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
7:30 PM
Ecstatic Music Festival
Kaufman Music Center Stream
$15
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/bell-orchestre-presents-house-music/
Speaking for myself (which is kind of the point of having a newsletter), I find the straight classical music composed by Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry pretty thin. But I have a great deal of affection for the chiming, gleaming classical/rock stuff he does with Bell Orchestre. Which shows that hybrid music can be more valid/interesting/appealing than unalloyed stylistic exercises if everybody isn't thinking in terms of contrived Fusion, but rather Music Without Borders. This thing tonight is a sort of long-form music video.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Montreal: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Rye (preferably Canadian), Aperol, and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Tarbaby
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-tarbaby
Tarbaby, the excellent, grooving, cutting avant-gutbucketish piano trio lead by the sterling Orinn Evans.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northern Lights: pour 1-1/2 oz. Islay Scotch and 3/4 oz. each of Fino Sherrya and Aperol into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thu, Feb 18, 2021, 7:30 PM – Sat, Feb 20, 2021, 8:29 PM
Alejandro Ricaño: Hotel Good Luck
THEATER
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 – 20, 2021
7:30 PM
The Cherry Arts / New Ohio Live Stream
$15-$45
https://www.thecherry.org/hotel-good-luck/
A chance to get to know one of Mexico's very best current playwrights, Alejandro Ricaño. In this phantasmagorical piece, a late-night radio DJ falls down a rabbit hole of parallel universes in search of a lost loved one.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Siesta: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of grapefruit juice, lime juice, Campari, and Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hercules in Pennsylvania
THEATER
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
7:00 PM
Theater of War Live Stream
Zoom
Free (by R.S.V.P.)
https://theaterofwar.com/schedule/hercules-in-pennsylvania
An adaptation of Euripides's The Madness of Heracles, putting the focus on its pre-echos of contemporary American gun violence.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Oriental: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. each sweet Verrmouth and Cointreau, and 1/2 oz. lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Sirius Quartet: More than We Are
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
6:00 PM
Brave New World
Tribeca New Music Festival Live Stream
$2-$20
https://www.tribecanewmusic.org/calendar/2021/1/7/more-than-we-are-sirius-quartet
The questing Sirius Quartet finally gets around to giving this recital of new pieces for string quartet and pop-song arrangements (they were supposed to give it a couple of months ago, but shit happens during Quarantine). They are still insisting that the supernal "Eleanor Rigby" is "infamous": what's up with that?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Take THAT: Eleanor Rigby (NOTE: I've never tried this, and I find the lack of Simple Syrup in the recipe a little worrying). Rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin that you've infused with Earl Grey tea (you just put some tea leaves into the Gin and let it sit for 2 hours at room temperature, and then strain out the tea leaves), and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 1 egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and some edible flowers, if you have any.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
-
Thursday, February 18, 2021, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 & 18, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Syanide: ENDEAVORING PURITY
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-syanide-endeavoring-purity
Syanide, a welcome presence on the Brooklyn electronic experimental underground dance music scene, presents a music video referencing an old piece by Wendy Greenberg, a '70s avant composer with whom I must admit I am totally unfamiliar.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Puritan (close to an Alaska, oddly: what do Puritans have to do with Alaska?): pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse, and 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tibet House U.S. 34th Annual Benefit Concert
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
8:00 PM
Tibet House Live Stream
$25-$250
https://tibethouse.us/tibet-house-us-annual-benefit-concert/
If you can forgo a show with Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson, Iggy Pop, Flaming Lips, Chocolate Genius, Inc. and his daughter Tessa Thompson, Brittany Howard, and MORE . . . well, you're made of sterner stuff than I am.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Happy Buddha: pour 1-1/2 oz. Añejo Tequila, 1/4 oz. Cointreau, 4 oz. guava nectar (yeah for this you would use canned), 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a schooner (you can use a snifter if you don't have a schooner). Now, the fun part: garnish with a lime wheel you've studded with cloves (I don't why I enjoy doing that so much).
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Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Ensemble Connect: What Does It Mean to Be Moved?
MUSIC / DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2021/02/24/Ensemble-Connect-Up-Close-0730PM
This show is in the running for the worst title of the Quarantine. But the program, as usual with Ensemble Connect, is piquant, stuff you don't hear every day (and, in these cases, presenting a pretty pungent sonic profile): Boulanger, Boulogne, Paquito D'Rivera, Hindemith, Koechlin, Villa-Lobos. Plus: dance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rabo de Galo: pour 1-1/2 oz. Cachaça and 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cynar, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a tumbler or rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
JACK Quartet
MUSIC
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
7:00 PM
Live from Columbia: Pop-Ups in the Lantern
Miller Theater Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.)
https://www.millertheatre.com/events/jack-quartet-live-from-columbia
An all-Lachenmann program. Helmut Lachenmann makes each piece sound like anything but what you've heard the instruments involved sound like before. It's no surprise that the JACK Quartet plays him probably better than anyone else in the world: they play just about everything they play better than anyone else in the world.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Widow's Kiss: pour 1-1/2 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 & 18, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Feb 16, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 4:30 PM
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Monday, February 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Feb 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 21, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Mon, Feb 15, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 21, 2020 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory/Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
-
Monday, February 15, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Justin Hicks: Use Your Head for More
MUSIC / THEATER
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021 (on demand through MARCH 1)
5:00 PM
Baryshikov Arts Center Stream
Free
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/justin-hicks
Future-forward R&B music theater composer Justin Hicks (whose work tends to be wonderful) makes something out of the transcript of a conversation with his mother.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I wish I knew what Justin Hick's mom likes to drink. Absent that, she deserves a cocktail as good as Queen Elizabeth's mom's (who had — and reportedly her daughter does, too — one before lunch every day), the Queen Mother: pour 2 oz. Dubonnet and 1 oz. Gin into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Hold your pinky out when you drink it.
-
Mon, Feb 15, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 2:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 21, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
-
Mon, Feb 15, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 21, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
-
Mon, Feb 15, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 21, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
-
Sunday, February 14, 2021, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Laraaji
MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
10:00 PM
Liminal States
Bowerbird Stream
Pay what you wish
https://www.bowerbird.org/event/laraaji-liminal-states/
Another in Bowerbird's enormously appealing series of recitals designed to usher you into sleep. This one's by ambient mbirist Laraaji — who can certainly put you to sleep.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Indian Summer: pour 1-1/2 oz. Cognac, 2/3 oz. Mezcal, 1/4 oz. Allspice/Pimento Dram, and 1 teaspoon of Agave Syrup into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Sunday, February 14, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-48/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's keep sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a big tea cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
-
Sunday, February 14, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mychal "MMYYKK" Fisher: Cognitive Dissonance
MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
8:00 PM
Hotel Elefant Stream
Free
https://www.hotelelefant.org/amplifying-black-voices
A music video by Mychal "MMYYKK" Fisher, a very talented videographer who is also a somewhat schlocky (to my taste) electro-smooth-R&B performer. The music here, though, is by MMYYKK's Minneapolis colleague dVRG, whose edge is happily harder (as well as someone calling themselves PCP, who frankly as a musician I'm not familiar with).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Athol Brose: pour 2 oz. Scotch and 1/2 oz. each of honey and heavy cream into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. (Be thankful I'm sparing you the version that has you soak the Scotch with steel-cut oat meal for two days.)
-
Sunday, February 14, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Okay Kaya
MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
6:00 PM
NoonChurus Live Stream
$12
https://noonchorus.com/okay-kaya/
Norwegian-in-Brooklyn Okay Kaya's appealing-if-depressive café pop is extremely appropriate for a Quarantined solo Valentine's.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chrysanthemum: pour 2 oz. dry Vermouth, 1 oz. Bénédictine, and 3/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, February 13, 2021, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 (weekly)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$13
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
-
Saturday, February 13, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ginny Benson & Kiran Arora
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/ginny-benson-kiran-arora/
A collaboration between an intermedia audiovisual artist and a sound artist.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Los Altos: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Blanco Tequila and pineapple juice, and 1/2 oz. each of Mezcal, limoe juice, and Simple Syrup, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. If you have any pineapple leaves, use them to garnish.
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Saturday, February 13, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$19
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Dorflinger (named no doubt for the famous cut-glass manufacturer) will cloud your mind: pour 2 oz. Gin (Plymouth by preference) (I'd like to try Monkey 47 in this, actually) and 1 oz. Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Add 1 dash or 2 of orange bitters.
-
Fri, Feb 12, 2021, 9:00 PM – Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 12:00 AM
Matmos
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
9:00 PM & 12:00 AM
Imaginary Network Topologies
Twitch
Free (donation requested)
http://imaginary.topologies.net/
Electronic madmen Matmos make mesomusical (and non-mesocmusical) mayhem.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mercy, Mercy: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of Aperol and Cocchi Americano into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
-
Fri, Feb 12, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 9:00 PM
Dayna Stephens Quartet
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 & 13, 2021
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
For its last live stream for a while, the Vanguard presents Dayna Stephens, one of those sax players who's solidly in the tradition, but fresh (the tradition's been through a lot by now, after all). And he's leading a great quartet.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: We can still drink Fillibusters, even if we need to get rid of them in the Sentate: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. maple syrup, with an egg white (as usual, use the yolk in a Carbonara), into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura bitters.
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Friday, February 12, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tyshawn Sorey: Save the Boys
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
8:00 PM
Digital Commission Series
Opera Philadelphia Stream
$10
https://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/2020-2021/save-the-boys/
A sort of solo cantata from the mighty Tyshawn Sorey, sung (to piano accompaniment) by counter-tenor John Holiday. The text is from an 1870s poem about the plight of young Black men whose content, if not its verbal style, is chillingly contemporary. Sorey is in the middle of a can-do-no-wrong period. Don't miss this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Black Barrel, a cocktail as bitter as Sorey's piece should make you feel: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each of Averna Amaro and Amontillado Sherry, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Fri, Feb 12, 2021, 7:30 PM – Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 8:30 PM
Alejandro Ricaño: Hotel Good Luck
THEATER
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 & 13, 2021 (also FEBRUARY 18 – 20)
7:30 PM
The Cherry Arts/New Ohio Live Stream
$15-$45
https://www.thecherry.org/hotel-good-luck/
A chance to get to know one of Mexico's very best current playwrights, Alejandro Ricaño. In this phantasmagorical piece, a late-night radio DJ falls down a rabbit hole of parallel universes in search of a lost loved one.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Siesta: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of grapefruit juice, lime juice, Campari, and Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Friday, February 12, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Fri, Feb 12, 2021, 11:00 AM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 12:00 PM
MONDO XXXII Festival
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – 14, 2021
8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
5:00 PM SUNDAY
Zoom
Free (donation requested)
https://www.mondofest.org/festival/
Juggling! And lots of it!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Javelin: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon, Amaro Nardini, and Amontillado Sherry, and 1 teaspoon of Cointreau, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Fay Victor: SoundNoiseFUNK's "WE'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Album Release
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/fay-victor-album-release-for-soundnoisefunks-weve-had-enough/
Let's get this out of the way at the outset: Fay Victor is just a fabulous singer, inventive and fearless, but rooted. This is her "avant-garde dance music" band, and let me tell you, they are FANTASTIC.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Act of Faith (not for the faint of heart) (but then neither is SoundNoiseFUNK): pour 1-1/2 oz. Jamaican Rum (try to make it funky, like The Funk), 1/2 oz. each of Blackstrap Rum and Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and a whopping 1/4 oz. Angostura bitters into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Crystal Peñalosa: Vulnerability & Growth
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-crystal-pe%C3%B1alosa-vulnerability-growth
I won't lie: I generally find Crystal Peñalosa's "breathwork" self-helpy and uncompelling. But this time it's supposed to be erotic!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Vesper: pour 3 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. Gin, and 1/2 oz. Kina l'Aero d'Or or Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano, for that matter) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
-
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
-
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 & 11, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
-
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ayano Elson
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-ayano-elson
Dancer/choreographer Ayano Elson "responds" to a score by the great ambient composer Pauline Oliveros — one of those composers, along with Morton Feldman and Bruckner, whose work has been getting me through Quarantine* — in Prospect Park! The music is played by percussionist Matt Evans; by coincidence, as I type this I just finished listening to one of Evans's band Bearthoven's albums, and boy is it good!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A friend has commented that the Jaguar, recently popularized by David Lebovitz, sounds "gross". My friend is wrong. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Blanca Tequila and 3/4 oz. each of green Chartreuse and either Amer dit Picon or Bigalett China-China, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
JACK Quartet: Plays Catherine Lamb
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/jack-quartet-plays-catherine-lamb/
Catherine Lamb is another composer who's been getting me through the Quarantine. It's pretty easy to see what all these composers have in common: they suspend time. Their music doesn't "develop" in the traditional sense: it endures, until it doesn't; incident is either spaced out, stretched out, or left out. The music just is. The JACK Quartet, obviously, is beyond comparison.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hush and Wonder: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Crème de Violette. Pour 2 oz. white Rum and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup, with 11 (that's right: 11!) dashes of grapefruit bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass.
-
Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Charlotte Lily Gaspard: Enchanted Origins
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021
7:00 PM
Midnight Radio Show
Café La MaMa Live
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/enchanted-origins/
SciFi, whimsey, and . . . shadow puppets! (Actually, I'm somewhat dubious about shadow puppets on video. But we'll see.) All courtesy of Brooklyn's Midnight Radio Show (who I can at least say are pretty great live!).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Shadow: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, Pastis (DO NOT substitute Absinthe: your head will ache until March), and heavy cream into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail shaker and a lemon twist.
-
Tue, Feb 9, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 4:30 PM
-
Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 & 11, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
-
Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 14, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
-
Monday, February 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Monday, February 8, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Jochen Rueckert: Wolff Parkinson White
MUSIC
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021
7:00 PM
Underexposed Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://www.underexposed.live/
The bassist/composer Desmond White resumes the weekly series of live streams he runs out out of Brooklyn. This week reinstates one that was disrupted by last month's snow storm, featuring the drummer Jochen Reuckert in his Wolff Parkinson White electronic music guise.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Prosecutor: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse, St-Germain, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled rocks glass (no ice).
-
Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 14, 2020 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
-
Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 2:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 14, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
-
Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 14, 2021
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Feb 14, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – 14, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
-
Sunday, February 7, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-47/
I personally was finding OOAAOC kind of tiresome when it served as an effective adjunct to the Exponential Festival. But now that the Festival is over (wasn't its online iteration great?), OOAAOC should be back to its usual unpredictable anything-can-happen self.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Still sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a coffee cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, February 5, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Fri, Feb 5, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 9:00 PM
Tyshawn Sorey
MUSIC
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 – 7, 2021
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
Tyshawn Sorey is the walking embodiment of post-genre: a crucially important jazz musician who's also a crucially important classical composer — not that he recognizes a difference between them (nor that you should). Just to slam home how umissable this is, the performing trio is rounded out by no less than Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Monte Carlo/Last Word mashup the Monte Cassino* (see, that's where the first Benedictine Abbey was) is my current Number One Cocktail Obsession: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye, Bénédictine, yellow Chartreuse, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Fri, Feb 5, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 4:00 PM
Keenan Tyler Oliphant: Kyk Hoe Skyn die Son [Look at How the Sun Shines]
THEATER
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 – 7, 2021
7:00 PM FRIDAY
12:00 & 7:00 PM SATURDAY
12: & 3:00 PM SUNDAY
Winterworks 2021
Clubbed Thumb Live Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.) (donations requested)
https://kykhoeskyndieson.weebly.com/
I have no idea whatsoever.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: African Bishop: pour 1/4 oz. Brandy, 1-1/4 oz. Port, 1/2 oz. honey, and 1-3/4 oz. water into a saucepan. Heat over low heat. Stir. Pour into a mug. Garnish with a lime twist.
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Friday, February 5, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, February 5, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
First Friday with Robert Black
MUSIC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021
12:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://bangonacan.org/news_press/first_fridays_with_robert_black_feb_5
There isn't that big a repertoire for the double bass (Patrick Susskind wrote a play about that). But ace bassist Robert Black is doing his best to fix it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Abbey: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, and 3/4 oz. each of Kina l'Aero d'Or and orange juice, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Loser's Lounge: Battle of the One-Hit Wonders
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 (further installments on FEBRUARY 18 and MARCH 4 & 18)
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Stream
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2020/j/losers-lounge---joes-pub-live/
Skewed sarc-popsters Loser's Lounge play two One-Hit Wonder hits and then the audience votes on which one-hit wins. Like a battle of the bands, but for songs rather than bands!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmopolitan (a real cocktail invented by a real mixologist, no matter what people say): pour 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. each of Cointreau and cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime slice and a smile.
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Laraaji
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
7:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://bangonacan.org/news_press/laaraji_and_lrain_live_online_feb_4
Sometimes I used to think ambient zitherist Laraaji was just too fucking mellow. Under Quarantine I've come to doubt whether that even exists as a category. (Besides playing, he'll chat with L'Rain, who's just mellow enough.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mellow Corn 'n Oil: pour 3/4 oz. each of Mellow Corn Whiskey, blackstrap Rum, and Falernum into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a big huge lime wedge.
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Thu, Feb 4, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sat, Feb 6, 2021, 6:00 PM
Leonie Bell: Honey I'm Home! OR Dinner Theater for the Amorous & Wretched
THEATER
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – 6, 2021
7:00 PM THURSDAY
8:00 PM FRIDAY
5:00 PM SATURDAY
Winterworks 2021
Clubbed Thumb Live Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.) (donations requested)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/honey-im-home-or-dinner-theater-for-the-amorous-wretched-tickets-137828987211
A dinner party. Repeated three times within an hour or so. As in real life, things get worse and worse. (Creator Leonie Bell is reliably warped.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bell recommends Martinis. Who am I to say otherwise? Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 oz. dry Vermouth into an ice filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Brooklyn Bound: Sō Percussion / Bergamot Quartet / Kendall Williams
MUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
7:00 PM
Sō Percussion Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://sopercussion.com/events/brooklyn-bound/
The Bergamot Quartet is excellent and exploratory. Kendall Williams brings steelpan into the present. Oh, and Sō Percussion will play Caroline Shaw.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I recommended a Mellow Corn 'n Oil for something else tonight in this week's initial List — but it's even more apt for this show: pour 3/4 oz. each of Mellow Corn Whiskey, blackstrap Rum, and Falernum into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a big huge lime wedge.
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 & 4, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Hypercube: Nevermind the Noise
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2021
8:00 PM
NYU Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/163609008873953
The NYU composers' collective Nevermind the Noise would get a nod just for its name — even if its members' music weren't being performed by the fabulous Hypercube.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're wondering how these pairings get decided upon, know that the Gimlet variation the Gillette was invented by an early 20th Century mixologist named Tom Bullock (you'll have to figure out
the last stefor yourself): pour 2-1/4 oz. Old Tom Gin and 1/2 oz. lime juice, with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Anastasia Clarke: Swans Lakeless
OPERA
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/anastasia-clarke-swans-lakeless/
Non of that Odette/Odile shit here. Electronic composer Anastasia Clarke presents a piece about a trans amputee tenant organizer in Bushwick who is beaten by the police but finds worldwide empathy for their cause after the Pandemic subjects everyone to isolation and social collapse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Swan: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and Cointreau, and 3/4 teaspoon of lime juice, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
crys cole: Valid ForeveRRRRRRRRRR... (Pt. 1)
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2021
8:00 PM
With Womens Work
ISSUE Project Room
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/womens-work-crys-cole-valid-foreverrrrrrrrrr%E2%80%A6-pt1
Wow, two favorites combine. Berlin-based sound artist crys cole — her fascinating soundscapes are utterly devoid of sentiment — interprets a graphic score by Beth Anderson. Anderson is a composer who ought to be a lot better known: creating stuff that sounds like folk music from the astral plane, she anticipated Alt Classical by decades. Her Namely was one of the treats of last Summer (a Summer that needed some treats). And if you want to have a good time, listen to her "Ocean Motion Mildew Mind" from 1980!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Manhattan: pour 1-1/2 oz. White Whiskey and 1/2 oz. each Vermouth Blanc and Bénédictine, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 & 4, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Feb 2, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 4:30 PM
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Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, February 1, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co. : The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7, 2020 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, February 1, 2021, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Scott R. Sheppard: Blood Meal
THEATER
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021
7:00 & 9:00 PM
Theater in Quarantine Live Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.joshuawilliamgelb.com/theater-in-quarantine
A satirical thriller about infestation by blood-sucking insects (hmmmmmmm, think I see a metaphor there). Performed remotely from two closets in different parts of the East Village. Scott R. Sheppard's co-creation Underground Railroad Game was brilliant, so this has to be worth a shot.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pour 3/4 oz. each of Scotch, sweet Vermouth, Cherry Heering, and orange juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, February 1, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Bijayni Satpathy: Vibhanga
DANCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 (on demand through FEBRUARY 15)
5:00 PM
New York Theater Workshop Stream
Free
https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/classical/odissi.html
A modernized take on Odissi —an ancient form of Hindu temple dance, surpressed under colonialization — with a modernized take on the accompanying Hindustani music as well. Bijayni Satpathy is a transfixing dancer — and this is her first shot at choreographing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tamarind Whiskey Sour: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. each of lime juice and Palm Sugar Syrup (you can make a Brown Sugar Syrup if you don't have any palm sugar), and 1/2 oz. tamarind concentrate (you might have to go online for that), into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange wedge and a cocktail cherry.
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Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 6:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7, 2021
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – 7, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
