A night full of music

Holy fun weekend Batman! With the exception of reinjuring my back yesterday (the result of dragging 50+ pounds of laundry up six flights of stairs) and having to organize my tax stuff, this weekend pretty much ruled. I explored some new venues and got to spend time with new and old friends.

I already told you all about Prohibition and Bourbon Street, both places I visited on Friday night. On Saturday, after running for hours (back on track with training, hooray!), I met Jackie for what promised to be a night full of live music and dancing on Bleecker Street. We embraced our punk rocker personas and rocked out at the Nine Circles show at The Bitter End. I went to high school with the band's bass player, Steve, and when I got the invitation from him (which said, "come see us play, we don't suck) to come see the show, I couldn't say "no!"

Jackie and I were graced with the presence of someone I have known since I was seven, fellow High Bridgean, Chris Romash. Here we are rocking out.

Oh, and by the way, we were the only ones going crazy, dancing around, singing along with the lyrics and screaming Steve's name. While many patrons, mostly men, seemed entertained by our antics, we did make a few enemies...mostly other women. We expected that would be the case.

Bitter End is an amazing venue to see your favorite local band. It has been hosting bands since 1961 and calls itself “New York’s Oldest Rock Club.” The only downfall, to me, is the lack of open space. Tables and benches are crammed into all available space near the stage, so it is not a place conducive to rocking out, which, translates into a lack of energy created by the audience for the performing bands to feed off of while playing. Other than that, the vibe is more rock than hipster, and inviting to those not completely comfortable in lesser, seedier venues.

After an awesome show (I am now a devoted Nine Circles fan), we met up with some of Jackie's high school friends and headed over the Planet Rose karaoke bar on 14th Street and Avenue A for some good ol' karaoke fun. Jackie and I signed up to sing Love Shack, but the bar closed before we could belt out "bang bang bang on the door baby..." which we were pretty disappointed about. The place was a dive, with corny zebra print couches in the "karaoke room" which was in the back of the bar. There is no stage, and the lights are on low, so it would feel less like a performance when jamming out to your favorite songs and more like singing in your bedroom using a brush as a microphone like you did when you were a kid (or three nights ago if you are me). So if you are looking for a good place to test your vocal skills before heading to the popular karaoke spot, The Watering Hole, where you are prominently on display in the middle of the bar, head to 14th and A, and leave the hairbrush at home.