Friday | 7.28.06
Comedy. 
Does this guy look familiar to you? What if I told you that he was the carjack victim on the very last episode of Seinfeld? If that doesn’t help connect the dots, I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway. John Pinette was named Stand-Up Comedian of the Year in 1999, and he does a mean impression of the Chipmunks. Isn’t that enough of a reason to check out his act? He’s at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick through Sunday night.
Saturday | 7.29.06
Concert. 
I’m fairly new to the Dirtbombs, the garage-punk-soul-R&B band from Detroit, but I was duly impressed by their sound. The dual-bass and dual-drum set group at times sounds like a more soulful Jesus and Mary Chain, with the walls of guitar noise behind pop hooks, and other times like the bastard child of Mission of Burma and Al Green. Expect to hear originals and some old soul covers when they roll into Maxwell’s tonight.
Monday | 7.30.06
Concert. 
The word “seminal” gets thrown around a lot in rock criticism circles, for sure, but when it comes to a band like Rocket from the Tombs, it’s hard to argue with its use. In 1975, the band played about 10 shows and broke up. It happens all the time, right? But its members then went on to form the groundbreaking postpunk band Pere Ubu, and another went and formed another wildly influential punk group, the Dead Boys. Tonight, the band brings its dirty (in the best way) punk sound to Maxwell’s.
Tuesday | 7.31.06
Concert. 
If you pay enough attention to the indie music blogosphere, you could be forgiven for thinking that any somewhat interesting band with one good mp3 is the next Spoon. Cold War Kids were tagged “it” a while back, due to the altogether impressive song “Hospital Beds.” It’s a nice song, with the guitars mixed way back and a rolling bass/drums/piano groove, with vocals that sound more earnest than affected. The other song featured on their MySpace page, while not quite as good, is still a pretty catchy indie-pop tune. They’re opening for the slightly more generic Sound Team, at Maxwell’s.
Wednesday | 8.2.06
Outdoor Film. 
Although Wes Anderson is probably best known for Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, his debut is still the best of the bunch. Bottle Rocket shows a young Anderson using his whimsy, but not letting it bog him down, as it later did in The Life Aquatic. Owen Wilson, who also co-wrote the film, turns in an amazing performance in the film, as does his brother, Luke. It’s in Van Vorst Park in Jersey City, and, of course, free.
Concert. If it’s been a while since you’ve thought about or even heard of Jersey City’s own P.M. Dawn, you’re not alone. Unless you saw them on TV’s Hit Me Baby One More Time last year, you might not have seen them around since their 1991 heyday, when “Set Adrift On Memory Bliss” was at the top of the charts. They’re touring this summer, with a stop tonight at Maxwell’s, to promote their forthcoming release, P.M. Dawn Loves You, their first album since 1998.
Thursday | 8.3.06
Comedy. 
Let’s see … we have a stand-up comic who is fiercely partisan (and anti-Bush), makes a lot of jokes about sex and race, and ultimately creates a message of unity and tolerance. Sounds like standard-fare comedy to us. So why is Margaret Cho such a lightning rod for criticism and controversy? We’re guessing it’s because she’s a woman, and an ethnic minority woman at that, stuck in what’s largely a boy’s club. Some argue that she’s just not funny (she was voted the “2nd Worst Comedian of All Time” – behind Sinbad – by that bible of criticism, Maxim magazine). We happen to disagree, and think her performance tonight at Bergen PAC will be a hoot.
Forum. With all the recent news focus on Lebanon, Iraq has been pushed to the background, perhaps rightly so. However, the Iraq War is not ending, but indeed getting worse – for US troops, Iraqi civilians, and anyone involved, Halliburton excepted. Tonight, NJ For Democracy sponsors a forum, “What If Iraq Really Is the New Vietnam?,” featuring leading historian (and Rutgers professor) Lloyd Gardner and Ken Dalton, president of NJ Veterans for Peace. Oh, and City Belt is one of the co-sponsors of this event -- nothing like a little self-promotion. It’s at UFCW Hall in Clifton, and you can RSVP here.
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