Cee Lo Green: Free Show at Hard Rock Live

Yep, that’s right. Free. Cee Lo. Wednesday, September 7 at Hard Rock Live.

How? Those nice folks over at Samsung are sponsoring (yay!) and we’re reaping all the benefits. 750 tickets are available -- snag yours by visiting this link and entering your info and the promotion code SK4. The ticket will admit you plus one. Awesome town!!!

And before you judge Cee Lo on that “Forget You” radio song you’re so sick of hearing, just know his whole Lady Killer album is amazing. The man’s voice is like butter.

My fave song from the album: Wildflower.

And did you forget about Gnarls Barkley? Here’s the creepy-yet-accurate singing heart video.

The Haps This Weekend

Here’s some stuff you just shouldn’t miss:

Tonight at Will's Pub: La Garage a Go-Go! with Los Knievels, The Empyres, The Mondellos


Over at Peacock: Latenight Society presents Disco Disco with Just Jason, Romano Arcaini, Gino Sutera and Nigel


Saturday at Orlando Brewing: The Grafitti Bus Tour featuring artists, DJs, BBQ and beer.


Saturday night at Hard Rock Live: comedian Jim Gaffigan



Have a good one :)

Today Sure is a Good Friday, Huh?

I never could figure out why Christians call this day "Good Friday" when their favorite dude was crucified. I would think "Black Friday" would be more appropriate, but I guess that name was already taken by the post-Thanksgiving retail store hell. Anyways, here’s what’s going down this weekend:

Mr. Religulous himself, Bill Maher, is spitting his brand of religiously-offensively-awesome humor tonight at Hard Rock Live. I wonder what he has to say about Good Friday and Easter. If you want to find out, tickets start are a mere $55 + Ticketmaster fees. Ouch. Here he is with a penguin.



I have said before that Kittybat is the best DJ in Orlando, no question, hands down. I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s so damn versatile musically – in fact, he plays bass in a rock band called The Attack. They are playing the early show at The Social this evening along with Fake Problems and the River Boat Gamblers. Show starts at 5PM (yikes) and costs $12.



For a cheaper road, check out the Disco Disco party at Peacock Room with Latenight Society, Tard and Nigel. Don’t let the name fool you – not a drop of disco music will actually be played. I scoured the interwebs for a flyer, but all I could find was this video:

disco!disco!


Or, if tasty kid snacks and punk rock is your thing, check out the awesome all-girl band The Little Debbies over at Crooked Bayou. I was always a fan of the oatmeal creme pies.



And on to Saturday. Hipster favorite, Ratatat, will be playing at House of Blues. I don’t really have an opinion on them either way, but I do dig these Bjork and Kanye West Remixes.

Bjork - Wanderlust (Ratatat Mix).mp3

Kanye West - Get 'em High (Ratatat Remix).mp3



There’s also a Ratatat afterparty going down at The Social. This is the part where I would tell you who’s playing (I believe the aforementioned Kittybat is in the mix) but the social’s website is down at the moment, so I cannot fact check. Hopefully by the time you read this, it will be back up and you can get all the info for yourself.



And last, but certainly not least, we have The Empyres a band formed from ex-members of The Hatebombs, Fantasie and View-finder (and also Swami and the Salamis, if you remember them). They’ll be playing over at Peacock with Vanda.



If you believe in the Easter fairy tale, then have a nice one. If you don’t, have a kick-ass weekend anyway.

Common + N.E.R.D. + WPRK's Blob + Young Frankenstein

As our week of hip-hop-awesomeness continues, we have a few more big players in town this evening. Tonight at Hard Rock Live catch No-one Ever Really Dies (better known as N.E.R.D.) on award tour with Common my man (after each and every show a couple dykes in the van. Wait, no that's Kanye. Sorry!). I saw Common the last time he performed at House of Blues to a sold-out crowd. His blend of hip hop seems to toe the line between "intelligent" (self proclaimed, of course), preachy, political and fashionable (he changed Gap outfits about 10 times) but he still puts on a great show. Add N.E.R.D., the kingpins behind pretty much every catchy beat on the radio, and you've got quite a show. Don't miss out.



Lately, I've slept on a few events to help support everyone's favorite local college radio station, WPRK 91.5 but they’re not entirely over yet! Check the flyer or WPRK's myspace page for the full schedule of events.



And finally, tonight what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than with a classic monster movie? Or perhaps, a classic monster movie spoof from Mel Brooks? Young Frankenstein (pronounced Fronkensteen, of course) will be playing for free tonight in Winter Park's Central Park as part of the Popcorn Flicks series.



If you don't have plans for Friday night as of yet, mark you calendar for a very special birthday bash for Mr. MOT. It's going to be crazy -- details coming tomorrow.

Flyer-Only Friday

I'm moving this weekend, kids, and have zero time for a blog update. I don't want to leave you high and dry, so here is a flyer only (ok, maybe some text) post. Note: I will eventually get these posts done ahead of time so you can actually plan accordingly. Until then... deal with it :)

TONIGHT

SOLD OUT - Nick Swardson at Hard Rock Live
Henry Rollins at House of Blues
Frontiers - Journey Tribute Band at The Social

Get Mental at Sky60 - Password for free admission is "WE are all MAS-DE-BATERS !!!!!!!" This is in honor of the non-debate (McCain is a pussy) not masturbating. I think.
Ian Lee, Marshall Jones and TARD at Crooked BayouDress to Get Screwed with Marcus Bacalis, Buckner, Rob Slac and Ernie Turner at The Peacock Room


SATURDAY

Central Florida Beer Festival at the Central Florida Fair Grounds

Andy Warhol Show at RV Studios

***I can't get the flyer to upload. Sorry.***

Bold Hype Grand Opening Art Show

Post Renaissance 1 Year Anniversary Party at Tatáme

Have a nice weekend kids! Wish me luck on my move. Anyone up for some heavy lifting???

Friday the 13th !!! (and the 14th)

There are plenty of bloodcurdling events taking place tonight to help you get your Friday the 13th on. First up are Killer Robots at The Peacock Room -- join Strobo, Maximilian, and Auto as they perform in Daft Punk meets Gwar fashion. The visual aspect alone is worth the cover charge.



Next up, we have a themed punk rock show taking place at BackBooth, aptly named Mosh of the Zombies. If you want to get in on the zombie-fied action, stop by A Comic Shop between 5 PM and 7 PM to get free zombie make-up. Makeup will also be provided at the door and zombie films will be playing throughout the event.



Crooked Bayou is hosting a "5-hour Nightmare of Terror," with Latenight Society and T.A.R.D. providing the tunes. Since the music won't be very scary, take advantage of the terrifying drink specials: $5 Bloody Marys, $4 Red Death shots and $3 drafts.



Grab your bike for a ghoulish midnight trip from cemetery to cemetery. The Ghost Ride will be gathering at the Baldwin-Fairchild Cemetery (301 N.E. Ivanhoe Blvd.) at 11:30 PM and riding over to Greenwood Cemetery (1603 Greenwood St.) promptly at midnight (which is technically Saturday the 14th, but who's counting?). Ghost and zombie costumes encouraged!



The hockey mask antics continue on to Saturday the 14th, with the return of MSTRKRFT to Firestone. Every time these guys play, they are on point: it's definitely a show you don't want to miss. Andrew Spear and MOT will be opening and have hinted at a special surprise in the works. Hmmmm....



And finally, this has absolutely nothing to do with Friday the 13th but is still awesome enough to list. Saturday night, Hard Rock Live is hosting Classic Albums Live featuring Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. With all the layered studio work this album encompasses, I can't even fathom seeing this album performed live -- especially considering the 35-piece Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will be backing up the musicians. It should be pretty spectacular, to say the least.



Be safe this weekend, be wary of your friends named Jason and try to avoid any zombie bites!!!

Tonight: Club Queso + Get Mental

I don't get it.

Margaret Cho is "performing" at Hard Rock Live tonight and it's fucking SOLD OUT.



Really? There are really that many people who would buy her tickets??? Seriously??? Orlando, how can I keep sticking up for you if you are going to keep doing this to me???

Anyway, on to the REAL events for the evening.

Tonight at The Peacock Room is everyone's favorite Mexican wresting-themed monthly party, Club Queso, hosted by Q-Burns Abstract Message and Hoochie Productions. This time the theme is "disco" -- quite possibly my least favorite theme besides Pimps and Hoes.



It's not because I hate disco, it's because I love disco: the music, clothes and everything associated with the whole scene. I seriously can't stand when people try to replicate the era in a cheeseball way. Here's a good example of what I mean:



Sigh. Not to mention that Q-Burns won't play anything that even remotely resembles disco. He probably has a bajillion disco records, too, so why not play some at a freaking disco party???!!!???!!! Okay, now I’m just getting mad.

Let's watch the real deal.



Now I feel better.

If middle-aged white folks dressed in bad afro wigs isn't your scene, then join Andrew Spear and MOT over at Sky60 for their new weekly party, Get Mental.



Tonight they invite you to join them for "Dirty Dancing" and the password for free admission is appropriately "Nobody puts baby in the corner." You'll have the time of your life and you'll owe it all to those two.

Working for the Weekend

Ok, so I've been slacking. Well, technically, I've been too busy to breathe, forcing me to put my beloved event blog on the back burner. I missed the chance to call Steve "DJ to the Stars" Aoki an Asian jumping bean! I missed the chance to talk about the last-Thursday-of-the-month debauchery that is Velvet Sessions at the Hard Rock Hotel, where $25 bucks will get you free drinks AND a slightly washed-up (although completely awesome) rock star. I even missed a prime opportunity to make fun of Bret Michaels!!! Naw, I'm still going to post that one:



And the best glam rock cover of all time? Look What The Cat Dragged In!!!



Now, on to the weekend.

Tonight the legendary Eddie -- errrr --- Charlie Murphy will be performing at Hard Rock Live. I wonder if anyone has ever told him that he looks like his brother??? Naw. I also wonder if anyone would know him if it weren't for the long-lost Chapelle Show.



And now for a shameless self plug: I'll be DJing with Cub Saturday night at RV's Studio. That's the same warehouse space used for the Pintura Grafitti Conference a few weeks ago, in case you weren't sure (I wasn't). We'll be doing the funk/soul/disco thing if you're down. It's an early gig -- 6 to 10 PM and here's the flyer:



And, as much as I like to be an Orlando cheerleader, I have to admit sometimes there ain't shit going on. Nothing I care about, anyway.

It's these desperate times when we are forced to take road trips and I would suggest partying down with the St. Pete kids over at the Vitale Studio. They're having an art show dedicated to the baddest gang in Coney Island: The Warriors. A few Orlando artists will be showing -- Dolla, Andrew Spear, Johannah O'Donnell, Adriaan Mol, Terribly Odd, Horsebites -- among St. Pete's finest: Bask, John Vitale, Joey Vitale and a ton more. Click the (semi-unreadable) flyer for all the info.



And a St. Pete Saturday night wouldn't be the same without visiting The Lobby for some DJ Mega action. Oh burrrrrrg!



Back in Orlando, Sunday night brings the return of Rockstar Bowling to the infamous Colonial Lanes. What exactly is Rockstar Bowling, you ask? Imagine all the bartenders in town getting together every other week for three games of bowling and booze. It's basically their "Saturday" night throwdown and things can get pretty messy (in a good way). Not for the faint of heart or those who can't handle Monday morning hangovers.



Don't feel like bowling? Just show up to drink at their super dope retro bar and watch Hearst from Sky60 intimidate the other teams.

Have a nice weekend, kids!

Kids in the Hall + Yo Majesty + She Wants Revenge

The original gay-not-gay boys, Kids in the Hall, are bringing their "we-really-need-to-pay-our-bills-so-we-reunited" tour to Hard Rock Live this evening and I can't figure out why I'm not going!!! I was obsessed with KITH all throughout high school, thanks to the Comedy Central reruns. I had a whole collection of VHS tapes filled with Kids and The State (hopefully I won't get sued for admitting that here) that my friends and I would watch and quote endlessly. I would love to see their live comedy on the stage: Sir Simon Milligan & Hecubus, the Chicken Lady, Rod Torfulson's Armada featuring Herman Menderchuk, I'm Crushing Your Head, a gay Buddy Cole monologue... damn, why am I not going??? Oh yeah, because THE WORST MUSIC PARTY® is tomorrow and I have a bajillion and one things to do.

Anyways, here is my absolute favorite KITH sketch with Kevin and Dave about the guy who is never wrong about anything, especially the movie Citizen Kane.

If you like all that crunk-punk-rap B-more music, then head on over to BackBooth to see Yo Majesty. Hey, if nothing else, at least you'll see boobs:


LOL! View original photo at: Kevin Collier's website

Maybe not the boobs you wanted to see, but, hey, they'll be there. Also playing are Rosetta Stoned, Mostbangin'est, Justin Scott, Miss Fit and a super secret special guest. Oooh, mysterious!



I'm not a big fan but since some people are, I will mention that She Wants Revenge is performing at the House of Blues this evening. After the show, Adam 12 (the guy without the hair in the above photo) will speed over to Firestone for a DJ set.

But tomorrow is the real meat and potatoes because it's finally time for the Worst Music Party® Volume 12!!!!!!!!



Don't even think about doing anything else!!!

Friday is in the house

It's finally effing Friday -- you know what that means!!!



Yes, I put myself first because I'm allowed to do that :) But if you're interested in other happenings about town, here are a few.



The original 'Street Players' themselves, Chicago, are performing at Hard Rock Live but if you didn't buy tickets yet, you are out of luck -- the show has been sold out for months. I love, love, LOVE Chicago, but without Peter Cetera??? Meh.



If you feel like getting down to "driving in the car with Dad" music, Little River Band is playing at the House of Blues. This is most certainly where I would be if I wasn't DJing, to join the drunken older folks in a round of "Have you heard about the lonesome loser... he's a loser but he still keeps on trrrrryyyyyyiiiiinnnggggg!!!"



Tonight at Copper Rocket (which is right down the street from The Peacock Room -- did I mention I am DJing there???) you can catch drums-and-piano duo Los Diggaz. These guys are amazing and have enough musical knowledge to cover both of the aforementioned bands in their awesomely funny lounge slash comedy act.

But, seriously, you really should just come see me and Nigel :)