Astorian Weekend Edition 28.01.10

It’s going to be a chiller this weekend, so you might as well plan your activities inside.  Good thing – there’s a lot of fun stuff going on that doesn’t involve being out in the cold.

This Friday, say good-bye to the old Café Bar (pictured above) and get ready to welcome a new and improved version next month. Starting at 8 p.m. Café Bar will host a celebration in honor of its upcoming renovations.  The café will re-open in about a month, so get your last fix (for a while) this Friday with great music, drinks and complimentary appetizers. 32-90 36^th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.5273

Also on Friday, check out the first ever Far Out Festival, sponsored by Astoria Music and Arts and the Stomp & Howl Movement.  Proceeds go to a great cause—to benefit the victims of Haiti.  Music acts will include Deep Sound Diver, Illimanjaro, James Call & Erotic Photo Hunt featuring Adrienne Efficiency, Michael Benedetto and more.  $5 cover.  Shillelagh Tavern – 47-22 30^th Avenue, Astoria.  718.728.9028

If you’re a wine gal or guy and enjoy the game of chess, check out Winegasm’s second Wine and Chess event on Saturday from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. You’ll want to try their homemade Istrian delicacy called “Fritule,” which they make on the premises.  31-86 37^th Street, Astoria.  718.932.3331

Looking to unwind this weekend? Here are some of my personal recommendations for a relaxing spa/salon day.   Natura Spa has a full offering of spa and salon services and even some special treatments such as hydrotherapy.  Spa Hydra’s 55 minute Swedish massage is great – although pricey, the atmosphere is as serene as it gets. SPAce’s haircuts are great and not too expensive.  I recommend Rudy!   Natura Spa – 31-24 Steinway Street, Astoria.  718.956.5530.  Spa Hydra – 35-11 36^th Street, Long Island City.  718.267.7991.  SPAce – 29-09 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.726.4477.

And last but certainly not least, there’s brunch!  Try something new with Ornella’s brunch, which officially rolls-out this Saturday.  Enjoy interesting brunch dishes such as potato pancakes with pancetta, nutella-filled crepes and also traditional food such as eggs and paninis. YUM!  29-17 23^rd Avenue, Astoria.  718.777.9477

Speaking of paninis, you can also check out Il Bambino, which now serves brunch.  There are 12 new paninis on the menu and most of them include the incredible, edible egg. Double YUM!  34-08 31^st Avenue, Astoria.  718.626.0087

Upcoming Shows from Astoria Music and Arts

Those crazy cats over at Astoria Music and Arts have a bunch of events planned in October, the next couple being this Saturday, October 17.  First, Gather at the Gantries takes place at - where else? - Gantry Plaza State Park. The music gets going at 11:30 a.m. and lasts til 4 p.m.. Musical guests include Rebel Rose, Os Clavelitos with Anthony Lanni, Plasma, The Jamies and Little Creatures! It's a free event for for kids of all ages.  Apart from the music, get acquainted with Edible Queens (and accompanying tasties), historical tours by the Queens Historical Society, a trunk show by boutiques Etheral and Little Closets.  Waffles and Dinges and Hallo Berlin will be there with some fab food, too.

The $5 after party, Gather After the Gantries, will be at Shillelagh (30th Ave at 48th Street), starting at 8:30 p.m. There you can hear more music, including Adam Gould Band, AwShockKiss and The Concentrics. Make sure you print out the image above for 2-for-1 draft beer special! 21 and over, please. And have a great time!

Astoria Music Now!

Astoria Music & Arts is putting together a great event on July 25 at Astoria Park. Here's a preview of things to come:

Astoria Music Now! is Astoria Music & Arts' 2nd Annual Music & Arts festival, an environmentally friendly day of family fun & education to be held on the Great Lawn at Astoria Park on July 25th, 2009.

Building upon last year's main & side stages, Astoria Music Now! is adding a third stage dedicated to world music, dj's, dance & theater arts. There will also be vendors selling crafts, clothing, art & food at the event. We continue our tradition of live music that spans various diverse cultures from the community.

Visitors will watch visual artists create works live, enjoy the sights and sounds of our culturally vibrant neighborhood and participate in this celebration of arts & music! We are still seeking volunteers, vendors, and visual artists. Activity are set to begin at 12 noon.

We are very proud to announce the 2009 gala line-up for the first two stages of our forth coming AMN! Fest.

There is a heavy neighborhood presence with these bands so mark your calenders for the largest FREE Astoria music event of the year!

More details on Facebook.

Hell Gate Stage (main stage 45min sets)

Panonian Wave
Seize Them!
Mainline Gypsy
Hank & Cupcakes
Missing Teens
Stone Robot
The Botz (featuring Bayard Russell)

Shore Stage (Quays Stage)

Gutter & Spine
Little Creatures
Dirty Wings
Illimanjaro
Bliminal
Bob Muir & The Enemy Below
Hops
Digamy
Jesse Pagano Band
Matthew Snow & The Way It Was


3rd (Theater Arts) Triboro Stage and 4th Solo Acoustic TBA

Where and When details:
Saturday, July 25, 2009
12:00pm - 8:00pm
Astoria Park Great Lawn & surrounding park areas
Astoria Park South, 21 Street, Hoyt Avenue, Ditmars Boulevard, East River
Astoria, NY

Call for Artists: AMandA in Wonderland

I received this in my inbox and wanted to pass it on. Please note that April 3, 2009 is the deadline for applying. Please contact astoriamusicarts@gmail.com for a copy of the application form.

Greetings From Astoria Music & Arts and the Wonderland Collective!

We would like to invite you to be part of an event we are putting together for April 18th 2009 called... AMandA in Wonderland. We are calling upon all fellow conspirators: artists, musicians, djays, dancers, performers, fire spinners, spoken word, comedians, filmmakers, organizations, collectives, and other creative energies, to be a part of this celebration.

Wonderland and Astoria Music & Arts are both dedicated to the enrichment of the artistic community in the Astoria/LIC area and beyond. Only with a network and community of artists will this come to fruition. This is a great opportunity for all of us to build together.

AMandA in Wonderland is going to be a fundraiser for Astoria Music & Arts. We are planning numerous events around LIC with all of this culminating in a huge festival in Astoria Park on July 25th and we want all of you to be involved!

We have already received grants from Queens Council on the Arts and the City Parks Foundation. We feel very strongly that we as a community and citizens need to seize our public spaces for celebration.

If you are interested in collaborating with us for this event on the 18th, summer festival, or any other events, or know of any other organizations or performers that would be interested in working together please contact me directly or email astoriamusicarts@gmail.com and we can start planning these events together.

Blessings :)

Mike Tummolo, AMA and Wonderland!

For additional info on the organizers
Wonderland on Facebook and their blog
Astoria Music and Arts on Facebook

Astorian Weekend Edition 25.12.08

Merry Christmas to all of you that celebrate the holiday! I expect a lot of your time will be spent with family and/or friends, and eating delicious food. According to my sources, Thursday will be one of the nicest days we've had recently, with partial sun and no deep freeze temperatures. A walk in Astoria Park might be nice way to spend time outside and with your loved ones.

The 26th brings us another day of rest (and Boxing Day!). It'll be cloudy and grey, so why not hang out in one of the local cafes for a few hours? The other day I was at Cafe Soleil (37-14 Astoria Blvd) on Astoria Blvd and had a delicious cup of tea and a fantastic chicken and green apple salad sandwich. Omonia (32-20 Broadway) is always a good bet, and further south is funky Cafe Bar (32-90 34th Avenue).

Another option this weekend is to take the family to the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave) for their Animation Workshop. From December 26-31 (and January 2-4), workshops are daily at noon and 2:00 p.m. and 60 minutes each. "Children learn the history and technique of stop-motion animation, and then make their own short films, which will be shared online. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Materials fee: $5 per child. Space is limited. Call 718.777.6820 to reserve." They're also showing the delightful short film The Red Balloon in Tut's Fever Movie Palace, daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday night, Astoria Music & Arts presents their first Holiday Surprise, a 3-venue "Rock n' Crawl" down 30th Ave, with live, original music by Astoria musicians. Boite Cafe (40-17 30th Ave), The Quays (45-02 30th Ave), and Shillelagh (47-22 30th Ave) are the venues, and a variety of bands will perform. Crawl starts at 6 p.m. at Boite and is expected to go til 2 a.m.

Astorian Weekend Edition 18.09.08

Summer is on its way out, but not before a weekend's worth of street fair activity. The Hellenic Orthodox Traditionalist Church of America celebrates Thursday right on through to Sunday at 26th St between 23rd Ave and the Amtrak trestles. It's not huge, but I'm sure it can hit the spot.

Friday night at around 8 p.m., the free wheeling peeps at Astoria Music & Arts offer up free music from various artists. All you have to do is bring yourselves and your own refreshments. It's going to be held at their "Headquarters" (25-20 36th St). Hit up the myspace page and RSVP; it is, after all, a small location.

On my block there used to be a ton of homeless cats that were cared for by an elderly lady. Since she's not around anymore, poor little ones have had to fend for themselves. If this sounds familiar to you and you are an animal lover like me, then come to this meeting to discuss humane ways to help and curb the population. It's on Saturday at 2 p.m., run by the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, and Neighborhood Cats, at Steinway Reformed Church (21-65 41st St).

Before it gets too cold, make sure you get over to Astoria Park and help clean up after the summer's partying. Bright and early at 9 a.m. on Saturday, work with the folks from Green Shores NYC in partnership with Astoria Park Alliance, Astoria/LIC Catalyst Project, and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. You can find them at the War Memorial on Shore Boulevard.

Don't forget Restaurant Week is happening and some of our local spots are even participating during the weekend!