​Probably the first and last time local pop trio the Beets will find themselves with a YouTube embed on Notes on the Culture Wars. There is evidently no small amount of outrage brewing over a show staged by Less Artists More Condos and company at St. James Church a couple of Fridays ago. Brooklyn Vegan appears to be their primary source here: "Beer cans decorated pews, as did people standing and dancing on them. The lively all ages audience crowd-surfed down the center aisle where priests, funeral and wedding processions walk." Etc. Hm. Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound too good, does it? Aufer A Nobis, a blog about "Catholicism and East Coast Living," calls news of the show "exceedingly disturbing" and encourages you to write the church's pastor, Fr. Walter Tonelotto. American Papist takes things a step further:

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all photos by Rebecca Smeyne

Less Artists More Condos show at St. James Church in Chinatown

Those of us blessed with a long weekend had plenty to do with it. Like see Julian Casablancas at Terminal 5, take in Vampire Weekend's "emotionally grueling" marathon at the United Palace Theater, watch Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon cover Kelly Clarkson, or help send off Monkeytown by zoning out to the crescendoing jams of Woods' psych-fi offshoot Woods Family Creeps. (Dear four obnoxious asshats sitting beside me at Woods last night, blabbing wildly for 75% of the stellar 10:30 pm performance: Annoyed neighbors accidentally got your $6 check for cheapskate Miller High Lifes, but let you pay their more expensive tab because you deserved it. P.S. Thanks for the Chimay!) There were other tremendous options too, like the Yummy Fur reunion at the Market Hotel, the Beets at St. James Church, and an Underscore Quarterly release party at the Silent Barn. Our photographer Rebecca Smeyne attended the latter three. Her shots, as always, below.

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St. James Church. Photo via

​It was Ariel Panero's Less Artists More Condos that was putting on the shows down in Damon Dash's Under 100 basement, at least until Dame shut everything down and rebranded the entire enterprise as DD172. Before that, LAMC called an actual West Village condo on West 3rd Street home--there, Panero et al booked High Places, Wavves, Crystal Stilts, etc. until problems with neighbors, cops, and too much press got that place shut down as well. Between the two venues, LAMC did shows at the ill-fated Shank, on a old pirate ship, and in Chelsea, beneath the renovated High Line. Now, Panero and crew seem to be trying their hand at this Manhattan DIY thing once more, surfacing at Chinatown's St. James Church, where Brooklyn Vegan points out they have a show booked this Friday with the Beets, Tony Castles, Beach Fossils, and Total Slacker.

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