Time

On Friday, I took my friend, Jeff, to dinner for his birthday (along with Ces). What’s happening with Jeff is interesting. He really enjoys his job yet will more than likely quit at the end of the year because it is taking over his life. He’s working 16-17 hour days. It’s a cautionary tale for me because – right now – I’m dealing with a situation at my job where there are certain managers that want me and my co-workers to put 2 to 3 extra hours of work in each day. The reason that I have stayed at my job all these years (at a pretty minimal salary) is because it has given me time – time to spend with my daughter and now that she’s gone off to college – time to spend with my friends and artistic pursuits. It is a battle that I willing to wage.

At the same time, my aunt is approaching the final moments of her life. What would she do for more time?

It’s my done to the bone conviction that all we have is time and deciding how to spend it has become a real focus for me. I have recently realized that people who waste my/your time are probably the rudest people on the planet. Nothing pushes my buttons more than when faced with someone that has wasted my time. I’m working on placing such individuals where they can’t do much damage. They won’t mind, generally speaking, they are too selfish to see much of anything outside of themselves.

C’est La Guerre

Gallery: DUMBO Arts Festival 9/27/08

This year’s festival seemed a lot more subdued than previous ones. I’m hoping that it was because of the rain and not that the area is becoming more and more upscale each day…

To see the full set of photos from the DUMBO Arts Festival click here

Gallery: Until Midnight – 9/25/08

Bricken Sparacino and Samantha Jones open the show at The Zipper Factory Underground

Ian Archer-Watters

Baron Vaughn

Vita-K

The Sisters Rock

Lisa Furtado

Mark Douglas

Master Lee

Paul Tabachneck

Carolyn Zweben

Penny Pollack

Mistress B

Chris Harcum

Comedy Period

After the show, we were led to the after party by the comedy improv troupe, God Tastes Like. I have no photos because it was raining and my camera is not weather proof. However it was pretty darn funny to be led parade like through the streets of midtown to the cry of Cluckalujah!

The show’s creators: Bricken Sparacino and Samantha Jones

To see the full set of photos from Until Midnight and after party click here

From the show’s creators:
Until Midnight
a monthly NYC happening like nothing in existence. Bringing the avant-garde and alternative performers to the forefront for main stream audiences. This is NOT Broadway, they couldn’t handle it! This is some of the finest dirt, grit, and risky work in New York. The underground performance scene in NYC has been providing safe place for brave and eccentric artists to explore and perfect their work. These artists now come to UNTIL MIDNIGHT with their BEST 5 minutes to show main stream audiences what has been going on underground.

Hosted and created by award winning comedian and solo performer Samantha Jones and award winning director and acclaimed burlesque hostess Bricken Sparacino who bring you 15 of the best performers from the underground scene each with their best five minutes. UNTIL MIDNIGHT, The fastest paced variety show with the best work from the city’s bravest performers.

After the show the audience is whisked away via an unexpected form of transportation to an undisclosed location for an after party that may include live music and drink specials….or it may be something else. It’s a surprise….

Photo: Guitar in Hand

Ariel Zino – The Ruling Elders

I don’t have a story for this photo. I just like the composition and the light.

Video: Drink Up Buttercup at Pianos

Here’s one more from Drink Up Buttercup!

Low at The Bell House 9/23/08

The audience at The Bell House for Low was impressive. They chatted away pre-show but once Low hit the stage, they were attentive and….quiet. They listened. Kudos for Low!

To see the full photo set for Low click here

Top 10 Search Engine Terms

One of the neat things about WordPress is that you see some stats about your blog. So – here are the top 10 search terms for people that find this li’l ole blog (oddly, I’m at the top of the list and at the bottom of the list – what does that mean?):

1. maryanne ventrice
2. billy mccarthy
3. “drink up buttercup”
4. friendship
5. chris sifflet
6. sara benincasa
7. francis and the lights
8. a place to bury strangers
9. patrick harmon
10. “maryanne ventrice”

So, becasue this is a photography blog, here’s a photo of each (except photos of me – that’s a bit silly)

2. Billy McCarthy – What can I say about Bill – He’s a wonderful friend and amazing performer – check out Pela whenever you can (There are also 2 interviews that I did with Bill – links are in the right hand column)

3.Drink Up Buttercup – These guys tear the house down!

4. Friendship (people clicked on the story with a series of photos that I conducted of male friends)

5. Chris Sifflet (just for the record – I think Chis is Googling himself – everyday!). Chris is an up and coming comedian – check out the web site for Comix in NYC to find hos show schedule

6. Sara Benicasa – Sara’s recently acclaimed viral YouTube series of Sarah Palin vlogs has helped my blog get lots and lots of traffic – Thanks Sara!

7. Francis and the Lights – This is a truly wonderful band – really – check them out.

8. A Place To Bury Strangers – These guys are on fire so it’s not surprising that people are searching for them.

9. Patrick Harmon -Patrick has been in a few bands – most recently – The Party Faithful. There’s been some traffic on an interview that I did with him about a year ago (the link is in the right hand column)

Site of the Week – Neighborhoodies

NeighborHoodies

From the site:
In an era of mass production and scary robotic machines, we do something unheard of: Neighborhoodies makes each order by hand, one at a time, with care and thought. We are the only company in North America that produces customized, hand-stitched sweatshirts. Want a custom image of a giraffe your nephew drew stitched onto a made-in-America, smart-fitting hoodie? You know who to call.

Interviews..anyone..? HEY! Is this thing on?

So…I’d like to include more interviews on the site and am looking for musicians, comedians, photographers, or any other artist to have a chat with.

Hit me up if you are interested.

maryanne.ventrice@gmail.com

Gallery + Video: Drink Up Buttercup at Pianos 9/20/08

Drink Up Buttercup

I really like this band – they are so full of energy that even with a midnight start time they can get the audience moving. It’s a rarity to see that with audiences on the Lower East Side of NYC – but these guys do it every time. They’re pretty adorable too (and since a few of them are the same age as my daughter – I feel ok using that word to describe them). Give them a listen and check out their live show whenever you can – believe me – you are missing something if you don’t!

Here’s some video from the show:

To see the full photo set click here

Gallery: The Ruling Elders at Rehab 9/19/08

This is a relatively new band on the scene and is made up of my friend Stanley George, Ariel Zino and Frank Molina.

To see complete set of photos click here

Gallery: The Bell House – Takka Takka, Robbers on High Street and Matt Pond P.AH

I LOVE The Bell House! Located in Gowanus on 7th Street between 2nd an 3rd Aves it is THE closest music venue to where I live. I think it will be my new spot. It will be AMAZING to get home in half an hour. Also, the room and sound system are pretty great – and the stage is accessible from 3 sides – plenty of room to shoot). I had a BLAST there on opening night: my friend Bryan Bruchman was in from Portland and I met another fellow photog, Chris LaPutt, whom I’ve only known virtually. Also in attendance were my buds Ces and Jeff.

And now…on to the photos:

Takka Takka
To see the full set of photos for Takka Takka click here

Robbers On High Street
To see the full set of photos for Robbers On High Street click here

Matt Pond P.A.
To see the full set of photos from Matt Pond P.A. click here