I grubbed and chatted with Esther Brown for Outside.in. I was just named one of their “Bloggers We Love” – if you haven’t read it yet, you should totally check the interview out here. I talk about the blogging industry, my summer rut, and how I am pretty much over NY Nightlife at the moment.

Anyway, after that I met up with my friend in the LES and we head to 1Oak to hit up the Dubset iPhone App release party. Yes, thats right, I went from Good Co in Williamsburg to 1Oak.  This is my lifestyle, kids. 1Oak was 1Oak – highlights would be finally meeting Adam Alpert, Mia Moretti, and David Stein.  I drank, I danced, I fell in love with Ani Quinn,might of slightly offended Mel DeBarge,  and then I went to Jane.  Jane was playing all 90′s Hip Hop which made me quite happy… and that pretty much sums up my Wednesday.

all photos by Nicole Wasilewicz

“Across The Board” Artists For Autism Awareness was organized and conceptualized by my friend, Laurie Markiewicz, based on her love for skateboarding, art, and most of all her child, Jack. At 2 years of age, Jack was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (a non-specified type of autism). It has been Laurie’s mission to raise autism awareness and advocate for more programs and services for families within the NYC autism community. “Across The Board” is one way of achieving her goal. Featuring artists such as Miguel Paredes, One9, BlusterOne, TooFly, Alice Mizrachi, Gigi Bio, MERES, Marthalicia, Lichiban, 2ESAE, and Damion Silver, veteran as well as emerging artists give voice not only to autism awareness, but to relevant community issues. “Across The Board” is an open discussion, but a dialogue that is ultimately designed to create a greater urgency about Autism.
In keeping with that mission, “The Across The Board Project” premiered a short documentary filmed and edited by participants from VONYʼs (Voices Of New York) “Dare To Dream Project” youth program. Featuring autistic children, participants from VONYʼs (Voices Of New York) “Kids Dream In Color” youth program with teaching artist Lichiban, artist mentor Marthalicia, neo-soul singer Bilal, and art therapist Lina Meza-Murillo.

The folks over at FREE Williamsburg finally decided to put all there knowledge and expertise in music to good use.  The site will be kicking off ‘First Thursdays’ tomorrow.  I chatted with FW Senior Music Editor, Nicole Wasilewicz, about why the popular Brooklyn based site decided to embark on a music series – holding it down on Thursdays and making the schlep out to Greenpoint.  Nicole stated,“Thursdays are a great day in general. It’s almost Friday, but you’re not overwhelmed by your weekend plans just yet.  And although Greenpoint Ave is off the G and not actually in Williamsburg, we wanted to have the show at Coco66 simply because the venue is perfect.  I saw Twin Shadow and Hooray for Earth at Coco earlier this summer and since they revamped the sound system, it sounded amazing. With the series, I was more concerned with having the opportunity to bring awesome lineups at lower prices to the ‘hood. I’m just hoping each showcase ends with a sweaty dance party.”

Well, I hope it ends in a sweaty dance party too.  Hell, I hope it ends up with me going home with someone, getting a phone number.

Also, if you can’t afford the $8 cover (really!?), FREEburg is hosting a ticket giveaway to the show. Just RSVP to the Facebook event and you could be the lucky winner!

Deets below:

FREEwilliamsburg is proud to present the first of a long series of monthly shows at Greenpoint’s Coco66… FREEwilly First Thursdays:

11pm Beach Fossils (DJ Set)
10pm Apache Beat
9pm Blood Orange
8pm We Are All Romans

DJ Whitney Fierce will be providing tracks between performances and there will also be a DJ Set from Apache Beat’s leading lady, Ilirjana Alushaj!

Photo Booth by Wet Paint (www.itswetpaint.com)

Coco66 | 66 Greenpoint Ave. (btwn Franklin & West St.)
7pm Doors | 21+ | $8

via www.someecards.com

Okay, so clearly I have been off my blog game for a minute. To be honest, I am just really effing tired.  I work full time, go out 6/7 nights a week, and am having a hard time dealing with life.

Not gonna lie, I have been going through some shit and really questioning what to do with my life.  I’ve had a billion weddings this summer (and I don’t even have a steady hook up these days), the Hamptons kinda suck (Except Day & Nite which is aweeesomeee), and I haven’t gone anywhere besides New Hampshire and Miami this whole summer.  Blah – WTF did I do for the past three months, cause I know I wasnt being productive.

BUT I’m not giving up. The show will go on and The Downtown Diaries will live on to see another year.  I hired an AMAZING developer to finish up my site.  Thanks Kenroy! It only took me a year and a half and FIVE WEB DEVELOPERS LATER to get my site finished.  Which is funny considering I knew Kenroy since the blog first launched.   Lessons learned… lessons learned…

I recently was named Broke Ass of the Week by my buddy Broke Ass Stuart.  As some of you know, I am the Queen Broke Ass when it comes to Stu’s parties.  Every time Stu throws a party in the NY, I am the woman behind the scenes.

AND best of all, I really explain whats been going down in my life in this candid interview with Esther Brown from Outside.in for their ‘Bloggers We Love’ Interview Series.

The article was so amazing I C&P the whole thing for your reading pleasure.

A Blogger’s Dilemma: Been There, Done That… Now What?

New York City is OVER.

Dead.

Finito.

At least, that’s what NYC nightlife blogger Kristina Marino tells me. She doesn’t get the obsession with the Hamptons, either, (“You’re like: ‘this isn’t cool. Why would I drive 3 hours just to go to the same clubs they have in the city?’”), and it’s not like you can go to Goldbar, Kenmare, The Jane, or Le Bain every night. At least… not once you’ve landed a full-time job that you value and enjoy. Plus, maybe you’d like to find the time to learn a language or two. Not to mention that you’ve started to think about the possibility of going back to grad school. Oh, and you’re also trying to get in shape (on account of all the bridesmaid’s dresses you’re being asked to wear lately).

FOTP BBQ at Good Company. Photo credit: Kelly Neal for Metromix New York.

… Let me back up for a moment:

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristina, the girl behind The Downtown Diaries, a blog about nightlife here in New York City (or “The Scene,” as Kristina begrudgingly calls it). We chose to meet at Good Company in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Finger on The Pulse was hosting their final BBQ of the summer season, with Andrew W.K. DJ-ing and $5 plates of deliciousness courtesy of Frankies Spuntino.

I arrive at 7:30 on the dot, belly up to the bar, and order a sweet tea vodka with lemonade (which, happily, is served in a Mason jar). A short while later, a pretty girl with dark hair and smoky eyes sidles up next to me: “Are you Esther?” she asks. It’s Kristina!

I buy her a drink. She orders a sweet tea vodka, too, and I like her immediately. Every few minutes someone new comes up to us to say hello to Kristina. They’re young, attractive, hip, creative: writers, photographers, DJs, bon vivants, musicians and artists. Kristina is a natural hostess and her networking skills are evident right away. She’s pleasant with everyone and careful to make thoughtful introductions. She talks with a friend about meeting up on the Lower East Side later in the evening (“At Pianos?”… “I’ll text you.”), then we make our way out to the courtyard to get some grub. Read the rest of this entry »

via Sean Evans for Nightclub & Bar Magazine

The DJ management market is on the rise, as demand for top DJs with a following increases in every market across the globe. The latest entrant to the industry is 4AM, a collective of friends and DJs run by Jonny Lennon (of Goldbar renown), Adam Alpert (director of operations for 1Oak) and DJ Jus Ske. Launched just six months ago, the boutique agency is already booking its talented roster (DJ Jesse Marco, DJ Jus Ske, DJ Sinatra and more) in top hot spots all over the world, proving to be a venerable force on the burgeoning scene. The duo of Lennon and Alpert shared some insight into the DJ industry.

Top row – DJ Suss One, DJ Sal Morale, Adam Alpert
Middle row – DJ Anthony Vitale, Jonny Lennon, DJ Price, DJ Ani Quinn, DJ Theory, DJ Orazio, DJ Sinatra
Bottom row – DJ Brooklyn Dawn, DJ Phresh, DJ Jus Ske, DJ Jesse Marco

Nightclub Confidential: What’s the key to successfully starting a company like 4AM?

Jonny Lennon: Relationships. We wanted to put a lock on the New York City market and in the process we put a lock on Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas markets. It’s all connected and that’s because of solid relationships. We took a trip out to the Cannes Film Festival to secure French venues and clients, and because of how well our events did this year; we’ve already booked three parties for next year. Our reputation is spreading, strictly from word of mouth and the level of events were doing.
NCC: What effect is the recession having on bookings? Are your DJs still getting the same level of pay?

Adam Alpert: The recession has nothing to do with the fact that the DJ is now the focus in nightlife. It should’ve always been recognized as a central component to a night, but now, more than ever, when deciding on a place to go, people aren’t asking, “Where are you going tonight?” Instead it’s “Who’s the DJ spinning?” What dictates how fun your night is, is the music. You need a named DJ who matters, and pay is up because the demand is.

NCC: What’s the pay scale typically like?

Lennon: Entry level at a local club, say down in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, it can be as low as $100 for six hours. Most full time DJs who’ve got a following are looking at up to $10,000 for an out-of-town gig. Since these guys are working every night, they can make more than $200,000 every year, easily. The top guys, such as David Guetta or Deadmau5, those guys are making six figures for a single gig.

NCC: What are some politics at play that you have to be aware of when booking your talent?

Alpert: Whether the DJ’s name is a big enough sell in a market or if there’s a serious competition for that market; that’s a big one. Also whether or not the DJ slept with the club owner’s girlfriend (laughs). That’s happened before.

NCC: DJs often have travel horror stories. Any memorable moments with missed flights from your crew?

Alpert: I had to book one of our DJs a last-minute gig in Frankfurt because he missed a connection coming back from a gig in St. Tropez and was stuck in Germany for the night. I was literally Googling nightclubs in Frankfurt and cold-calling them to get him in. It worked though.

NCC: What if your DJ misses a gig completely?

Alpert: You apologize to the client and hope to reschedule it quickly. Clients are typically forgiving if the issues were beyond the DJ’s control. Jus Ske had a big gig in Paris last year, and NYC got hit with a blizzard so he couldn’t fly out, and he missed it. They had a huge promotion around him coming, with his face plastered on fliers all over town. But no one could do anything about it.

NCC: Last question. What do you think of celebrities DJing, like “Jersey Shore” cast member Pauly D? Does that help or hurt your business?

Lennon: It doesn’t affect what we do because people who call us want skilled DJs. In his market, he’s not a joke; people want to associate their brands with him. He’s not in our world but he’s making money and I can’t hate on that.

The Long Island duo always had a love for vintage fashion and started collecting clothing items they found in thrift stores, yard sales, and wherever else they could get their hands on old clothes for a cheap price.  Some items they left be, while others they refurbished – making dresses a little shorter, and adding great pieces of flair to otherwise ordinary blazers.   They started rolling out their trunk shows while away at college in Ann Arbor and Boston and realized they were on to something due to the overwhelming success. They now hold an annual trunk show ever summer in NY and are opening an online store which launches tomorrow.  Prices range but are overall reasonable – the refurbished and designer items will run you a little more.  Check it out!

http://www.thevintagetwin.com/

I attended last years awards in support of my comrade Brittany Mendenhall and inadvertently met Steve Lewis, who has been a pivotal force in my career as a nightlife blogger.  Although there will be no tequila, there will be lots of SVEDKA and Perrier. No word on who the special performers will be this year…

Our resident photographer, Sarah Tamar, went off the grid this past weekend and lived to tell about it.  Here’s her story:

When the big white van pulled up in front of my spot in Brooklyn and six of us piled into the back for the three hour ride to the Muddy River Jam Festival (http://www.muddyriverjam.com/) this past weekend in Woodstown, New Jersey, I knew it was going to be one of those perfectly wild summertime city escape stories you talk about for years to come.

Not disappointed, the festival consisted of everything from amazing music (The Join, Perpetual Groove, Future Rock, Telepath etc.) to life-sized, paper-mâché animals by artists Katelyn Bischoff and Dominique Festa. Art director Conor Kneeshaw and company constructed amazing structures out of bamboo and cloth. Patrick McCarthy sold $1 grilled cheese sandwiches off the front of his 1970′s French moped.  The Green Man made an appearance. There was a Flaming Lips-esque giant hamster ball. Vitamin Water, one of the sponsors, gave us a case of caffeinated, black cherry-lime water. There was a lot of 4Loko. Our campground was the only place in the festival with no grass and more than one person likened our aesthetic to a tricked out Burning Man. I snapped Polaroids.

Epic. Simply epic. I returned alive, covered in mud, and slept for two days.

Taking over the old Cafe Cornichon spot comes a new French Bistro - Le Comptior.  TONY has the first look.

Williamsburg’s bistro scene gets a boost with this comely newcomer from chef Sebastien Chamaret (La Goulue). The restaurant—opening for brunch this week, with dinner service planned for later this month—boasts an open kitchen inside and a leafy garden out back. As for the food, Chamaret turns out locally sourced American fare with a Franco bent: A “bacon-cheeseburger” sausage from local butcher the Meat Hook is paired with lentils and frisée, while French toast is torched on top like crème brûlée.

Le Comptoir
251 Grand St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn