bill bodkin brings you the second installment of our weekly series in conjunction with the awesome people over at the NYC concert promotion company, Rocks Off
Welcome back to the Rocks Off Reader. The people at Rocks Off present a lot of awesome experience from concerts to bus trips to walking tours.
On the weekend of July 12-14th, Rocks Off will be going completely outside of their concert-promoting box by hosting the first-ever Rocks Off Film Festival — a three day cinematic orgy of the best rock ‘n’ roll-related films. The origin of the festival is explained here by Rocks Off head honcho Jake Szufnarowski:
“The Rocks Off Film Festival came about as a result of me being bored. We have been dabbling in showing films for the past few years, always music centric ones, and found we had success doing that. We found this gloriously dumpy theater in the East Village, which is mostly used for off-off-off broadway shows, and I just thought, maybe we should do a weekend of films by and about musicians. Have we ever done a film festival before? Nope. But how hard can it be? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Click here for full schedule and for tickets.
Yacht Rock Revue, Wednesday, 7/10, Brooklyn Bowl (Doors: 6:00pm / Show: 8:00pm, Advance: $10). This is one of the premiere tribute/cover bands out there in the world right now. They’re performed on cruises that have seen Kid Rock and Zac Brown on them (performing not lounging). YRR brings the best of ’70s soft rock to the stages and at The Brooklyn Bowl, the party is going to be massive. Click here for tickets.
Evolution of a Cro-Magnon – An evening of Reflection, Tragedy and Triumph w/ John Joseph (Cro-Mags front man and author), Wednesday, 7/10, Kraine Theater (Advance: $20). Get an absolute no-holds barred look at the life of legendary New York hardcore frontman John Joseph. He talks about the violent times of New York City in the late ’70s and how writing and music turned everything around for him. Click here for tickets. There will be a second show, also at Kraine Theater, on Thursday 7/11. Click here tickets.
Girls Girls Girls: An All-Female Tribute to Motley Crue w/Led Blimpie, Saturday 7/13, Brooklyn Bowl, (Advance: $8) The best of the ’70s and ’80s come together as one of the premier Motley Crue tribute bands on the Eastern seaboard teams with an elite Led Zeppelin tribute band. They’ll be in the world’s most awesome bowling alley/concert venue. Basically, it’s on like donkey kong.
Click here for tickets.
Point Break Comes Alive with The Great White Caps, Saturday 7/13, Highline Ballroom, (Advance: $10) We saw this show earlier in the year at The Bell House in Brooklyn and frankly, it was AMAZING. First, you’ve got one of the best (in a completely non-ironic way) movies ever, Point Break. Then you’ve got an excellent surf band, The Great White Caps, performing an electric surf rock instrumental set over various parts of the film. It’s an absolutely unique and must-see experience.
Click here for tickets.
Dash Rip Rock, Saturday 7/13, B.B. Kings (Advance: $12). Spin Magazine called this trio, “undeniably The South’s greatest rock band.” That’s a hell of an endorsement … that’s better than we can do. Click here for tickets.
Also coming to a venue near you: Masked Intruder w/Elway and Sam Russo (7/19 @ Santos Party House), Kaiju Big Battel (7/20 @ Stage 48), Tim Barry w/Cory Branan & Des Ark (7/20 @ The Knitting Factory), Dick Dale (7/26 & 7/27 @ Brooklyn Bowl), Dragon Gate USA (7/28 @ Highline Ballroom)
Rocks Off is known for their awesome boat shows. Here are some upcoming shows coming up for The Rocks Off Armada…Click Here for Maps off All Ports.
Friday July 13: No Code: A Tribute to Pearl Jam (Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel – Boards: 6:00pm / Departs: 7:00pm, E. 23rd St. & FDR Dr.): Jeremy has spoken … you have to be on the boat for this one. Yes, that was lame. However, we’ve seen these guys perform for years around the Jersey Shore and New Brunswick area and they are LEGIT. Really awesome band that’s the closest to Pearl Jam you’re going to get. Click here for tickets.
Thursday July 19: Moon Taxi (Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel – Boards: 7:00pm / Departs: 8:00pm, E. 23rd St. & FDR Dr.): New hotness alert. Moon Taxi is legitimately going to blow up into something huge, so get on the bandwagon now and see them on a boat. These guys have had music on ABC’s Nashville, HBO and they’re playing Lollapalooze this year. You heard it here … these guys are gonna blow up. Click here for tickets.
Friday July 20: The Slackers w/ DJ 100dbs (Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Circle Line – Boards: 7:00pm / Departs: 8:00pm, Circle Line Pier 83 – W. 42nd St + West Side): They are one of the few acts that has appeared on the Rocks Off Concert Cruises since its inception — and for good reason, The Slackers are ska royalty. The high-energy horns and upbeat rhythms will keep people dancing all night on the boat. Click here for tickets.
Coming to the Boats: Kalob Griffin Band / The Wild Northern (7/21), Sheer Terror (7/28), Start Making Sense: A Tribute to The Talking Heads w/The Great White Caps (7/30), Schism – A Tribute to Tool (8/1), Bonerama (8/2), Ellis Ashbrook (8/7).
Rocks Off is running air-conditioned, bathroom-equipped, sound-system-stacked, TV-screen’s a blazin’ rockin’ party buses from NYC to and from shows at PNC Bank Arts Center and Jones Beach this summer.
“Buses leave from the time and location listed on each show page. These bus rides are BYOS: Bring Your own Shit!!! Refreshments are not served on the bus, but we encourage you to bring your own (just keep tidy and help us keep the bus clean). Best part is that our professional drivers are also highly trained Ninjas, and will be staying with the bus to guard your precious briefcases and designer hula hoops — meaning you can leave your stuff on the bus while you’re at the show.
The buses will leave the venues half an hour after the show ends, so no matter what condition you’re in, please proceed as efficiently as you can towards the bus after the last encore. The plus side is, you’ll find yourself back in NYC afterwards in plenty of time to get a decent night’s sleep, or to just keep raging with all the awesome people you met on the bus.”
July 2013 Bus Schedule
Wednesday July 10: Phish at PNC Bank Arts Center
Friday July 12: Phish at Jones Beach
Friday July 12: Further at PNC Bank Arts Center
THE PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE of ROCK N ROLL in NEW YORK CITY: Hosted by Rocks Off’s Jake Szufnarowski “If you want to know how how the rock n roll business works, and oftentimes doesn’t work — complete with hilariously offensive, almost unbelievable tales — this is your man. Yes, folks, NYC Rock and Roll ain’t dead yet. Join us on “The Evolution of Rock N Roll in New York City Through The Eyes of a Living, Breathing, and Working Concert Promoter, Rock God and Hell Raiser”, and you’ll learn just how alive it is.” Next Dates: Friday June 28, Friday July 19, Friday August 2.
THE HISTORY OF ART, CRIME, DRUGS and PUNK ROCK ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE: Hosted by John Joseph of The Cro Mags. (Description by John Joseph himself) “Most people walking around on the Lower East Side today with its trendy boutiques and coffee shops have no idea of its history, the great music and violence that has always co-existed side by side down here. I’ll take you to the punk clubs, gang hangouts and drug spots where some of the craziest things went down. It’s a first hand account from someone who was immersed in the danger having myself grown up on the streets of NYC since the age of 14. I guarantee you it will be a true punk rock & crime history lesson from someone who was there way back then and is still here.
We will drop by the famous CBGB’s location where The Ramones and so many other legendary punk bands started. We’ll walk by Great Gildersleeves where the Hells Angels regularly ran people over on their motorcycles. Stroll down memory lane at Saint Mark’s Place passing Trash and Vaudeville (punk store), the Electric Circus where the likes of Bad Brains, Crass, and so many others jammed. All the while telling you my anecdotes and funny stories of the crazy shit I’ve seen go down. Then Tompkins Sq Park, giving first hand knowledge of the area’s events. We’ll even hit MANITOBAS for Bob Gruen’s famous Punk Rock photo exhibit before we go by the Ritz (now Webster Hall) and Irving Plaza where so many great bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains, Circle Jerks, Motorhead (first U.S. gig), The Damned, Buzzcocks played and where the late punk-rocker John Belushi slam danced his nights away. Finally our last stop on the tour will be Max’s Kansas City where we end in Union Sq. Park discussing the area and what is what it was like. Drugs, hookers, violence, the Palladium where The Clash’s London Calling album cover was shot and many great bands played. Ever heard of Julien’s Pool Hall? The porno theaters where I’d sleep in the dead of winter for 50 cents a night and the Gramercy Park Boxing Gym (now PC Richard’s) where my old man and many World Champions boxed. The bottom line is, whether you’re a seasoned New Yorker or someone visiting the city on vacation, this tour is not to be missed. I can guarantee that it will be a memorable experience.”
