Upon entering, the three of us immediately snatched up our free copies of Spin magazine, of which there were many strategically scattered throughout the pool for product promotion. The party, sponsored by Jelly NYC, featured a slew of free product promotions and events, including beach balls and artsy stickers and such from Le Sports Sac and a photo booth and items from Topshop.
(Above: the LeSports Sac tent, featuring artistic give-aways and displaying artsy LeSports paraphernalia.)
(Above: me with free LeSports Sac beachballs...)
(Above: the line for the Topshop booths. It seemed to stay at least this long the entire time.)I have to say, in terms of the event set-up, I am much more impressed with the free Jelly NYC shows than the shows that cost $$. The free shows also feature the slip n' slide to be enjoyed by party/pool-goers of all ages and dodgeball (sponsored by Saucony -- which also gave away squirt guns to the crowd - throughly enjoyed and used), which the other shows do not. For awhile, we wandered through the crowd, people-watching the variety of hipsters and children running around/meandering/lounging, and obtaining our share of free things. We decided to find a place to settle for awhile, and after scoring free (with purchase of drinks) towels from Fuze, the three of us moseyed towards the front of the stage area, behind where a crowd was gathered to watch the opening bands, Chin Chin and Panther.
(Above, a crowd gathers to watch Chin Chin perform.)Not being familiar with either of the opening bands, I have to say I was more impressed with Chin Chin, with their violin (viola?) onstage and their general sound than with Panther, although they each had their share of an enthusiastic audience. We decided to leave at 6:00 pm, although Aesop Rock had not come on yet, feeling like we had already had a thorough dose of the McCarren Pool party. Carrying my LeSports beachball with me like a dork, I continued with my festive weekend dose of the neighborhood. Regarding the pool parties: though Jelly recommends getting there early to ensure admittance, the pool is expansive enough that I tend to think a later arrival is preferable, should the headlining band be your main (or at least a central) objective. In retrospect, I wish we had stuck around for Aesop Rock, but 6 hours of the McCarren pool party experience strikes me as a little much. Secondly, the last free Jelly show (ever!) at McCarren Pool is next Sunday: Yo La Tengo. FYI.
I had dinner at Peter's, a newer diner on Bedford Avenue, not because the venue or ambiance particularly struck me, but because they had an outdoor garden in the back. My dinner, three vegetable "sides" (mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, and spinach), was mediocre but hit the spot, especially the sweet potatoes portion of the meal. Apparently, this Peter's is a homage to an old butcher shop in the area, and gets middling reviews: Peter's (freewilliamsburg.com guide).
Eventually, I found myself at Zebulon, which features free music shows beginning at 9 pm every night. Well, they decided not to start until 10 last night. (Possibly the opening band didn't show? The calendar seems to confirm this, as there was no band called Unicornicopia which played, so I may never know if their sound lives up to their name!) The avant-garde show featured a group called Unbroken, comprised of a drummer, a saxophonist and a bassist. At times the songs sounded more like conceptual noise and at others they produced a a jazzy, jam-band style groove. A review of the band on All About Jazz gives a favorable analysis of their sound and compares the saxophonist to John Coltrane. If avant-garde jazz appeals to you, it may be worth checking out; or at least come to a free show at Zebulon! This is one of the venues that will feature free shows long after summertime has passed... which I still am not ready to admit may be ending soon...
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