Subkulture at Hell Gate Social

Last night was SubKulture at Hell Gate Social. For those who've never been to the bar, let me set the scene. It's way east in Astoria, at 12th St & Astoria Blvd. The exterior has this imposing and unmarked black door (a small sign with the bar name is a good 12 feet up). It has all the look of a private club. Behind that door is one of the coolest bars you'll find in the borough.

(pic via Hell Gate Social website)

Subkulture is a monthly party at Hell Gate where DJs Belladonna and Scandal spin alternative classics, punk, glam, goth, metal, post-punk, new wave, britpop, psychobilly and whatever else crosses their mind. The atmosphere is fantastic and the regulars are pretty friendly. Things seem to really start picking up around the 11:30 to Midnight time frame. I was a bit exhausted so I checked out before 1:00 last night. Next time I'd like to be less of a weenie and stick around longer. 

It's the sort of place we need a little more of in Queens (not too much more of, because I'd really rather not be Williamsburg 2 Electric Boogaloo). 

I had a fantastic time last night. Definitely looking forward to the next Subkulture event.

Astoria in Brief

Blue Restaurant seems to have slipped in quality. There have been several new hires over the last month or two, as they've introduced their new menu, and the service just isn't what it used to be. I'll be keeping an eye on this one, since they've been my regular diner since moving to NYC. Hopefully things will improve.

Tuesday nights are Bingo Nights at Blackbird's. They've put a twist on the church hall classic. When you win, you get a shot. Last Tuesday, we bowed out before the festivities started since the drink of the night was tequila, and Senor Cuervo is no friend of mine.

Saturday night is Subkulture at Hell Gate Social. Dj Belladonna and DJ Scandal will be spinning from 10 to 4. I'm pretty excited to have a night like this in Astoria, as opposed to having to trek to Manhattan or Brooklyn. 

NYCC - Yet More Parties

Tonight's pre-party at D&B should be quite large. I understand they had over 500 RSVPs by yesterday afternoon. I've got info on some additional parties for convention-goers. 

CBLDF’s NYCC WELCOME PARTY

Thursday February 5, 2009

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Side Bar

Donation : $5 & up for current CBLDF Members; $10 & up for non-members

Kick Off NYCC with the CBLDF!

Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in kicking off the 2009 convention season at our New York Comic-Con Welcome Party on Thursday, February 5! Enjoy drinks, free sliders for early arrivals, and door prizes! This party is sponsored by Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

Attending artists will include: Colleen Doran, David Mack, Rantz Hoseley, Dean Haspiel, Mike Cavallero, Nikki Cook, Mahmud Asrar, Brahm Revel and many more!

NEW YORK COMIC CON MEETUP

Saturday February 7th

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m

Stitch Bar & Lounge

Who: Internet superstars and hosts of Revision3’s weekly comic book show iFanboy: Conor Kilpatrick, Ron Richards, and Josh Flanagan; Tim Hwang, founder of ROFLCon, the world’s greatest Internet culture conferences, Garnett Lee, editor of 1UP and Mark Andrew Smith & Joe Keatinge, editors of the Harvey Award Winning Popgun Anthology published by Image 

Comics.

Featured attendees also include: Christian Beranek, writer, Disney’s Kingdom Comics; Paul Cornell, writer, Marvel Comics’ Captain Britain & MI13 and television writer, Dr. Who and Robin Hood; Mike Norton, artist, Green Arrow & Black Canary and Trinity; Tom Katers, co-host, Around Comics and host, Tom vs. The Flash; Meredith Gran, writer, Octopus Pie; Jonathan Rosenburg, creator, Goats; Scott Kurtz, creator, PvP; Brad Guigar, creator, Evil Inc; Robert Khoo, business manager, Penny Arcade; Neil Kleid, cartoonist, RANT Comics, Action Ohio, The Chemistry Set; Wes and Tony, Amazing Superpowers; Scott Ramsoomair, cartoonist, VG Cats; Johnny Johnny, Tiki Bar TV; and more to be announced!

MORE PARTIES AT D&B

I have also recieved word from a representative at Dave & Buster's that several of the con exhibitors will be hosting events at D&B over the course of the weekend. So keep your eyes open for info on that. 

For as complete a rundown of NYCC events as you're likely to find anywhere, check out the ever vigiliant Heidi McDonald at The Beat.

NYCC - Your Party Primer

New York Comic Con starts on Friday, and I expect you'll see lots more about it in the media later this week. The convention continues to announces guests and events, so it should be a blast. 

It has been confirmed that the convention is moving to October for 2010 and beyond, so no more February conventions. Smart move.

This Thursday there is a pre-party for NYCC at Dave & Buster's. They're hyping the following guests: Mike Perkins, Mark Brooks, Joe Quesada, Jay Leisten, Joe Benitez, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Phillip Morris, Aaron Douglas, Dekker Dreyer, Brian Thompson, Yuri Lowenthal, and J. LaRose. I know there are several well known comics names on that list, but... Brian Thompson? Perhaps one of the best guilty pleasure B-Actors of his generation. You may recognize him from such films as Cobra, or from TV "classics" like Kindred: the Embraced. 

The party will also play host to a raffle to benefit the Hero Initiative, which is an excellent cause.

D&B has been named "the official con bar", but since it is far from the Javits Center and February is cold, I wouldn't expect to see too many con guests popping up there during the show itself. Perhaps once the extension of the 7 Train is finished, that will change for future cons. I'd expect Bar-Con to be occuring elsewhere. Twins Pub is a good bet, with its promimity to the convention center, Penn Station, the excellent 24-hour Skylight Diner, and midtown hotels. 

The Indy After Party, hosted by the Comic Artist's Guild, will be at Blaggard's on Saturday night. 

Pre-NYCC Festivities

New York Comic Con is almost here, and Oni Press kicks off the festivities early with several events supporting the release of Volume 5 of Brian Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the Universe".

Comic Book Club Live! Featuring Bryan Lee O'Malley

Tuesday, February 3, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. at The Peoples Improv Theater. Tickets are $5

Midnight Release Party

Tuesday/Wednesday, February 3/4 Midnight at Jim Hanley’s Universe.

After Work Signing and Mixer

Wednesday, February 4, 7-9 p.m. at Rocketship Comics.

Move On Inaugural Bash at Kafene

Tuesday night, my girlfriend and I attended Move On's Inaugural Bash at Kafene in Astoria. There was something wonderful about the energy in the room that night. The bar was packed wall to wall with Obama supporters who were buzzing with the energy of the day. We had themed champagne drinks (the Obamosa and the Michellini) as we watched CNN and a DJ played. It was fun.

That was the good. As for the less than good...

Kafene is way too "cozy" for a 60 person party. They were too packed. Between the crowding and the volume of the DJ, it was difficult to socialize with anyone who wasn't seated immediately beside or across from you at a table. The appetizers were tasty, but were both in short supply and difficult to reach with the mass of people crammed into the bar.

We chatted for a while, and looked forward to more Move On events in the neighborhood, but ultimately bailed on this one after an hour or so. I'm inclined to give Kafene a shot on a more normal occasion based on the experience and the raves of a couple of regulars we met at the party. According to the regulars, it has improved since Foodista wrote it up in April.

NYC Inauguration Parties

We're just over a week away from the inauguration of President Barack Obama. To me, this is a far more exciting cause for a party than the Superbowl. New York's role in this election was an interesting one. I volunteered for Obama here during the brutal primaries with Hillary. Some of the arguments at that point in the campaign season were really intense, especially here, where HRC was a Senator.

It was a foregone conclusion that HRC would win Super Tuesday in New York City. But, even still, the lines at my local polling place in Astoria were astounding. Everybody seemed to know the importance of this election and the turnout was telling. In the months that followed, as Obama built up steam, New York remained a focal point, with Bloomberg's public pondering of an independent run for the White House (which would have been laughable), and one of the Presidential Debates being hosted at Hofstra.

All of the moments pale in my memory to the images of proud New Yorkers celebrating in the streets when Barack Obama was elected in November. There was one massive gathering in Harlem shown on TV that was particularly moving, but there were hundreds of smaller scenes on street corners and in bars across the five boroughs. There was an energy in the city that night which was unlike anything I had felt before. 

With all that in mind, I look forward to celebrating on the 20th. I'll be at a Move On sponsored event at Kafene in Astoria. If you're in the area, you should come. Should be fun. There has been some discussion that there will be an event in Central Park, but that doesn't seem too solid yet.

Where will you be?