Category Archives: Found Footage Festival

Mash Files: Charm City Edition

[Flatbread Spring Salad from Slow Supper @ Cylburn Mansion.]

After a great weekend in Philly with my family I hopped into the car with Meg, our Event Producer, and my partner in Mash voyages, and headed for Baltimore. Hersh’s Pizza was our first stop on this rainy evening, but a tour of the kitchen and the 950 F Italian wood-fired pizza oven warmed us right up. After meeting Josh, Chef and Owner of Hersh’s and sampling some of his great pies, I was eager to start cooking the menu we collaborated on for our Local 2 Ways dinner. Charm City stood up to its name as the skies cleared on Tuesday, and the Baltimore Mash hit the ground running with the speed of a lookout boy from HBO’s The Wire. Max’s Tap House, just a block from the harbor, provided a perfect Mash HQ. We sat outside sipping cask ales before heading off to Birroteca to try another modern Italian take on the pizzeria. After living so many years in Italy, it is always nice to find good Italian food in a new city. (continued below)

Birrotecca may be known for its pizza, but the confit calamari and the house-cured meats were out of this world. I have never had calamari as tender in my life. The Duck Prosciutto was like stepping into a Peking duck house with subtle notes of star anise, so good I changed our Sunday Slow Supper menu to feature it as one of the courses. Another menu adaptation occurred when I tasted the passion fruit buddino. My mouth went wild with the most amazing puckering tartness, followed by a smooth tropical sweetness; I knew we had to incorporate it in our dinner.

Early the next morning I headed back to Birroteca to meet up with Executive Chef Cyrus Keefer, the mastermind behind these dishes, along with Aja Cage the buddino goddess/Pastry Chef. We tweaked the menu, adding some local ginger to the dessert (candied and as a cookie), and planned to meet at the market on Sunday morning to get vegetables for Slow Supper. Then it was off to Hersh’s to prep with his team for Local 2 Ways. I was excited to cook for a group of family members and 45 other guests all seated upstairs in the private dining room. Many beers where paired with an outstanding array of food, from pizza with to crab sformato paired with Sorachi Ace. For a glimpse at the whole menu check out BrooklynBreweryMash.com. As my mother praised her son to anyone who would listen, guests mingled and stayed long after their last sips of Brooklyn Black Ops.

After saying my goodbyes to the team at Hersh’s, we boogied over to Metro Gallery to catch the Soul Clap & Dance Off with my buddy Jonathan Toubin on the ones and twos. I can safely say that Baltimore hipsters could give our Williamsburgians a run for their money. Many a dancer was left in the dust, sipping Summer Ale as their consolation, as number 11 shimmied his way to the top securing himself a roundtrip ticket to New York to compete in the Soul Clap and Dance-off Finale. Follow me on vine to catch a glimpse of those dancing skills and some super duper outfits.

I knew Baltimore had some great restaurants but I was in for a treat at Chaos Cooking when I found out it was hosted by the executive chef of Moonshine Tavern. John and his lovely lady had a roof deck that overlooked the stadium with the harbor in the distance and a kitchen fully equipped to handle the chaos that ensued. Chefs and amateurs alike doled out delicious dishes and john made racks of lamb with parsnip puree and a rich demi-glace that left us all fighting over the last chops. We sipped Brooklyn and broke bread with new friends until late in the evening.

Saturday was the highlight of my trip as I headed over to the 15th Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, one of the wildest events I have ever seen. Riders in crazy outfits took to the streets in giant whimsically constructed vehicles for a 13 mile race combining water, mud, hills and other obstacles. I watched these crazy creations hit the water then headed for The Wine Source for a cheese and beer pairing.

The Cylburn Mansion could have been a set from the Adams Family with the beautiful Nuit Blanche installation casting ghost like shadows on the walls. Instead it became our Slow Supper space. Tucked away in the Arboretum the Cylburn estate is a city landmark that inspired a meal rich in Baltimore history. Cyrus, Aja and I prepared a menu paying homage to the local bounty of Baltimore and the surrounding area. As the band played, and representatives from Slow Food Baltimore, the center for a livable future spoke, glasses clinked, and lights flickered in this old mansion a midst the background of beautiful Japanese maple trees, we almost forgot we were in a bustling city. Needless to say, it was a charming way to end our BmoreMASH.

Mash Files: Nashville Edition

[Daddy Long Legs performs at You Can't Drown The Loud Sounds, a benefit for Norton Records.]

Epicenter of the Honky Tonk, former stomping ground of Elvis, The Man in Black, Willie Nelson, and home to Jack White (we stayed two blocks from his estate on Franklin Pike) Nashville is definitely a music town, but its budding culinary scene is nothing to stomp your feet at either. I can’t recall exactly how many “Wagon Wheel” covers I heard in my week stay, but I loved every one of them. Nashville has a sense of nostalgia that is evocative — music runs through this city whether you are at the Honky Tonk’s on Broadway like Roberts, or the three-tiered towering venue Mercy Lounge on Cannery Row. Music is not the only thing that trickles through this city. Nashville and the rest of Tennessee are home to over a dozen breweries, some of which I had the pleasure of visiting, others I settled for getting to know via a pint glass.

Our Mash Headquarters, M.L Rose Craft Beer and Burgers was the perfect spot to sample many of the local brews. My Fat Bottom Brewing Ruby Red had just the right bite to wash down the Brooklyn Burger special, with Brooklyn Brown Ale caramelized onions, crispy bacon and NY State cheddar cheese. Boasting a tap selection heavy on local and domestic breweries, I got intimate with some of my new Tennessee favorites and was eager to go visit Yazoo and Jackalope breweries, as well as Bosco’s Brew Pub where my buddy Drew prepares the daily specials to accompany their award winning beers.

Our week kicked off quickly and remained burger-centric with a Wednesday night collaboration dinner at Burger Up with Chef Philip Shyatt and his team. After four courses, seven beers, and the last bites of crispy cream bread pudding and sips of Brooklyn Black Ops, guests continued to drink and chatter long into the evening. Thanks to our new friend, a wine maker from Sonoma, so inspired by our beers that he brought a variety case of different styles and vintages from his vineyard to share with those lucky enough to linger after the meal, it wasn’t Vin Santo but made for a nice after dinner treat. I would have stayed out and partied with the gang over at 12 South Tap Room but it was time to get some rest for our Slow Supper dinner with Brandon Frohn and his team from Mason’s, the new chef-driven restaurant in the Loews Hotel.

I met Brandon in the maze that is the back of house kitchen for Loews Hotel and got to work making minted gnocchi and my braised lamb ragu. Although we were prepping in a beautiful full-equipped hotel kitchen, we were serving on site at the Peter Nappi Studio located in the old Neuhoff meat packing plant built in 1906, six blocks from downtown Nashville located on a rock bluff overlooking the Cumberland River. This boutique, home to the highest level of Italian boot craftsmanship, was a truly magical space to host our Slow Supper event benefiting Slow Food Nashville. Holly Williams, country artist and lover of all things gnocchi, graced the stage with her husband for three incredible songs, setting a laid back and boisterous tone for the evening. Ghost bottles abounding, we served smoke-wafting boxes of deviled eggs, seared scallops with Sorachi Ace, and a dessert reminiscent of my childhood featuring Flintstone push-pop sorbet made with liquid nitrogen and a sweet potato beignet with an oat and chocolate cremoix. As diners ate their frozen ice-cream shards, we relished in the warmth of the room, and picked out our dream pairs of shoes, but the price tags made it hard to do more than dream.

After working with two young talented chefs I was starting to understand the new Nashville food scene. Chock full of recommendations, I was excited to hit up some of Nashville’s favorite digs, while experiencing some of the newer gems popping up in Germantown and other newly developed neighborhoods. Nashville is undergoing a transformation much like that of Brooklyn, and many young chefs are finding themselves running off the beaten path to spots with rustic sincerity and attention to local sourcing, simple techniques and good homestyle flavors. Nashville seems as comfortable dishing out artisan extruded pastas as they do meat and three plates, and Rolf and Daughters along with City House have the Garganelli to prove it.

But if elegant home-style Italian is not your thing rest assured Monell’s has a seat for you at a big round table with a slew of wide-eyed strangers, awaiting their southern traditional Sunday meal, every day of the week. The shear quantity of plates that began to hit the table was astounding. Our only instruction was to pass to the left, as biscuits, grits, greens, beans, collards, mash, suckatash, corn pudding, brisket, gravy, fried chicken, meatloaf, banana pudding, pickles, chutney, and many more dishes hit the table in a whirlwind of food that would give even thanksgiving at my house a run for its money (and we feed 35 people). After this special family experience at Monell’s it was time to dance off my meal to the sounds of Jonathan Toubin at his NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off. Any chance I get to hang out with Jonathan is a good night. Besides being one of the kindest and most engaging people I know he knows how to spin a 45 and keep a crowd moving like no other, especially when they are competing for a free trip to NY, courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.

The music didn’t stop there, Sandy Relief benefit for Norton Records in Brooklyn was a mash up of Brooklyn and Nashville talents Daddy Long Legs, A Bones, The Ettes and Weekend Babes. This line up at Mercy Lounge was killer and we stomped and stomped till the house came down. High Watt, on the top floor of the Mercy complex, which is also the home to a Sunday rock and roll church group (better attended then most concerts I go to) was the locale for Found Footage festival which is always a solid hour or two of laughs, and guest starring the beautifully awkward comedic genius of Kate Berlante.

Top this exciting week off with an impromptu stop at Taqueria San Luis for the biggest tamales ever (basically banana-leaf-wrapped pillows) with two scoops from Jeni’s ice cream in a Black Chocolate Stout float featured at our Togather literary series on Sunday, and I was holding my sides almost as hard as I had at our comedy event the night before. Nashville, I can’t wait to come back, my only regret, being too full for Princes Hot Chicken. Next year, Nashville. Next year!

The Brooklyn Brewery Mash Comes to Nashville, April 8-14

Brooklyn Brewery is taking its neighborhood on the road. Collaborating with friends old and new, the Brewery has bundled up some of its favorite events into The Brooklyn Brewery Mash as a benefit for Slow Food USA, rolling out in Nashville April 8-14. Check back for a Nashville Mash recap from Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Andrew Gerson (@BKLYNhouseChef).

Mash HQ
Mon, April 8 – Sun, April 14; M.L. Rose; 2535 Franklin Pike‎, Nashville, TN | Brooklyn beer specials, new and special offerings, giveaways and general info available on The Mash.

Local 2 Ways
Wed, April 10, 7pm; Burger Up; 2901 12th Ave South, Nashville, TN – price TBA | Multi-course beer dinner celebrating local cuisine, interpreted 2 ways: by Philip Shyatt and the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef, Andrew Gerson.

Brooklyn Brewery Tap Attack
Wed, April 10, 6-10pm; Flying Saucer; 111 10th Ave South, Nashville, TN | Brooklyn’s Josh Scutella hosts an evening of the Brooklyn Lineup. Core and new beers will be on tap. Beer specials all night.

Slow Supper
Thu, April 11, 7pm; Peter Nappi Studio; 1308 Adams St, Nashville, TN – price TBA | Held in the captivating Peter Nappi Studio & benefitting Slow Food Nashville, guests will feast on a meal prepared in collaboration between Brooklyn House Chef Andrew Gerson and Chef Brandon Frohne. Projection installations from Brooklyn’s NBNY.

NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off with DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin
Thu, April 11, 9pm; Stone Fox; 712 51st Ave, Nashville, TN – $7 | America’s most popular soul party returns to Nashville. Get down to the exquisite 1960s soul 45s of world famous Brooklyn DJ Jonathan Toubin all night long. Join the 1am dance contest for $100 cash prize and to win a free trip to New York for the Dance-Off championship at Brooklyn Bowl.

Brooklyn Summer Happy Hour
Fri, April 12, 5-7pm; Pub 5; 104 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN – Free | Get ahead of the game and celebrate the arrival of Brooklyn Summer Ale at the brand new Pub 5. Look out for specials and swag from the Brooklyn crew before heading over to Mercy Lounge for “You Can’t Drown The Loud Sound!”

“YOU CAN’T DROWN THE LOUD SOUND!” Sandy Benefit for Norton Records
Fri, April 12, 9pm; Mercy Lounge; 1 Cannery Row; Nashville, TN – $10 advance, $15 door | A benefit for Brooklyn’s own Norton Records whose warehouse was flooded by Sandy. Norton Brooklyn-based bands The A-Bones (featuring original sax player Lars and Ira from Yo La Tengo) and Daddy Long Legs pair up with seasoned Nashville garage rockers The Ettes and new comers Weekend Babes.

Eat, Drink & Learn with the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef
Sat, April 13, 12-2pm; Whole Foods; 4021 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN – Free | BB House Chef Andrew Gerson does a pasta making demo and pairs with Silver Anniversary Lager & more.

Found Footage Festival
Sat, April 13, 7:30 & 10pm; High Watt; 1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN – $12 | A hilarious comedy event that showcases footage from videos that were found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters across the country.

Books & Beer: Jeni Britton Bauer In Conversation With Chuck Beard & Imogene Willie
Sun, April 14, 2-3pm; 1310 Clinton Street, Suite 121; Nashville, Tennessee – $10 | A conversation and Q&A featuring Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and author of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Jeni will share memories of how her business began, what inspires her ice cream innovations, and how she tells stories through her delicious creations.

Chaos Cooking
Sun, April 14, 7pm – Free | A stalwart citizen opens their kitchen for a dinner party where all the guests are cooks. Each attendee brings the ingredients and everyone cooks together. Dishes are passed around, and there’s plenty of Brooklyn beer to enjoy. For location details, go to ChaosCooking.com.

The Brooklyn Brewery Mash Comes to New Orleans, March 13-16

Brooklyn Brewery is taking its neighborhood on the road. Collaborating with friends old and new, the Brewery has bundled up some of its favorite events into The Brooklyn Brewery Mash as a benefit for Slow Food USA, rolling out in the Big Easy March 13-16. Check back for a New Orleans Mash recap from Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Andrew Gerson (@BKLYNhouseChef).

1st Annual New Orleans Vendy Awards
Wed, Mar 13, 7-10pm; The Historic French Market; 1008 N. Peters St., New Orleans, LA | After eight years in New York and events in LA and Philadelphia, the Vendy Awards – an intense cook-off between the best sidewalk chefs in the city – is coming to New Orleans to determine the best street food vendor in town while raising money for the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition (NOFTC) & Slow Food NOLA.

NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off with DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin
Thu, Mar 14, 9pm; Siberia; 2227 St. Claude, New Orleans, LA – $7 | America’s most popular soul party returns to New Orleans. Get down to the exquisite 1960s soul 45s of world famous Brooklyn DJ Jonathan Toubin all night long. Join the 1am dance contest for $100 cash prize and a trip to New York for the Dance-Off championship at Brooklyn Bowl. The evening kicks off with a live performance by New Orleans’ legendary King Louie One Man Band.

Found Footage Festival
Thu, Mar 14 & Fri, Mar 15, 10pm; La Nuit Comedy Theater; 5039 Freret St, New Orleans, LA – $11 | A hilarious comedy event that showcases footage from videos that were found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters across the country.

Farmers Market Workshop
Sat, Mar 16, 10am–12pm; Crescent City Farmers Market, 700 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA – Free | The Brooklyn Brewery House Chef will be cooking up some of his favorite finds from the market. Stop by for cooking and beer pairing tips.

Local, 2 Ways
Thu, Mar 14, time TBD; Maurepas Foods; 320 Burgundy St, Bywater, New Orleans, LA – $70 | Multi-course beer dinner celebrating regional cuisine interpreted 2 ways: by Chef Michael Doyle and Chief Intoxicologist, Brad Smith, of Maurepas Foods, the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef, Andrew Gerson.

Togather Books & Beer
Sat, Mar 16, 1pm; Perestroika at Pravda ; 1113 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA – $25 | With our friends from Togather, our favorite Crescent City culinary cheerleader Poppy Tooker sits down for a conversation with our pals from Brooklyn-based Liddabit Sweets. Join their conversation about sleepless nights starting a business, inspiration and tricks in the kitchen. Ticket price includes a Brooklyn beer, Liddabit samples and The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook.

Slow Supper: “Swamp to Table”
Sun, Mar 17, 5pm – $80 | Hosted by DinnerLab and benefitting Slow Food NOLA, guests will feast on swamp creatures including crawfish, alligator, nutria and more. Chef Paco Roberts matches the spontaneity of an underground supperclub to Chef Andrew’s Brooklyn perspective. Projection installations from Brooklyn’s NBNY, ornamentation by New Orleans artist Rebecca Rebouche and music from Luke Winslow King with Esther Rose. Location is secret.

Chaos Cooking
Wed, Mar 6, 7pm – Free | A stalwart citizen opens his kitchen for a 150 person cooking party where everyone is a cook. There will be 7 cooking stations including 2 food trucks, a chandelier wok, indoor kitchen and plenty of grills. Each attendee brings the ingredients and everyone cooks together. Dishes are passed around, and there’s plenty of Brooklyn beer to enjoy. For location details, go to ChaosCooking.com.

Announcing The Brooklyn Brewery Mash: Adventures in Food, Film, Music, Books & Beer

Brooklyn Brewery is taking its neighborhood on the road. Collaborating with friends old and new, the Brewery has bundled up some of its favorite events into The Brooklyn Brewery Mash as a benefit for Slow Food USA. Kicking off at SxSW Interactive in Austin, The Mash will drop in 11 cities during 2013 and roll out a roster of parties, comedy, concerts, pop-up supperclubs and readings, all featuring humanity’s favorite beverage.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of the Brooklyn Brewery as it launches its Mash tour,” says Richard McCarthy, Executive Director of Slow Food USA. “Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has been a Slow Food supporter for a long time and we’re looking forward to the celebrations in the various local communities.”

NYC food and art organizations have been closely linked to Brooklyn Brewery from the beginning. Be it a beer dinner, cook-off, concert or film festival, the ethos of these happenings has consistently mirrored the consideration and creativity behind the making of The Brewery’s beer. Paired with the flavor and flair of Brooklyn, classic nightlife like eating out and going to a movie are reinvented into a more intimate and interactive experience.

Helping color in The Mash, NBNY, the organizers of Brooklyn’s Bring to Light festival, will create their immersive installations of light and projection art throughout the tour. Continuing a tradition of giving back, Brooklyn Brewery cooked up The Mash as a benefit to Slow Food USA and local Slow Food chapters in each city it visits.

“The Mash is an expression of Brooklyn art, music, food and the cultural links we see with many cities around the world,” says Brooklyn Brewery President & Co-founder Steve Hindy. “There is a revolution happening in the world of food and the world of beer, and we are happy to celebrate this revolution with our friends around the US.”

THE TOUR

Every installment of The Mash is custom tailored to the cities it visits.
Go to BrooklynBreweryMash.com for info.

AUSTIN, TX: March 4 – 10
NEW ORLEANS, LA: March 13 – 16*
NASHVILLE, TN: April 11 – 14
BOSTON, MA: April 25 – 28
BALTIMORE, MD: May 2 – 5
TWIN CITIES, MN: June 20 – 23
WASHINGTON, D.C.: September 19 – 22
CHICAGO, IL: October 3 – 6*
PITTSBURGH, PA: October 24 – 27
PHILADELPHIA, PA: November 7 – 10*
MIAMI, FL: December 12 – 15

* with Vendy Awards

AUSTIN EVENTS: MARCH 4 – 10

Chaos Cooking
Wed, Mar 6, 7pm | A stalwart citizen opens their home kitchen to strangers for a dinner party where all guests are cooks. Each attendee brings the ingredients and everyone cooks together. Dishes are passed around, and there’s plenty of Brooklyn beer to enjoy. Location is secret – go to ChaosCooking.com for details.

Local 2 Ways
Thu, Mar 7, 7pm; Swift’s Attic, 315 Congress Ave, Austin, TX | Multi-course dinner celebrating regional cuisine interpreted 2 ways: by the Brooklyn Brewery House Chef & Chef Mat Clouser of Swift’s Attic.

Slow Supper, Beer & Books: An Evening with Marcus Samuelsson & Jesse Griffiths
Fri, Mar 8, 6pm; Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX – $100 | Food Republic, Togather & Brooklyn Brewery present Beer & Books: Marcus Samuelsson and Austin’s own Jesse Griffiths in a conversation about technology’s effect on the food world. Following is Slow Supper, an outdoor dinner party benefitting Slow Food Austin co-created by Samuelsson & Griffiths with a helping hand from Brooklyn Brewery’s House Chef. Stay for the free Soul Clap & Dance-Off immediately following at 9pm.

NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off with DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin
Fri, Mar 8, 9pm; Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX – Free | America’s most popular soul party returns to Austin. Get down to the exquisite 1960s soul 45s of world famous Brooklyn DJ Jonathan Toubin all night long. Join the 11pm dance contest for $100 cash prize and a trip to New York for the Dance-Off championship at Brooklyn Bowl.

Farmers Market Workshop
Sat, Mar 9, 10am–12pm; Cedar Park Farmers Mkt, 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive, Cedar Park, TX
Sun, Mar 10, 10am–12pm; Mueller Farmers Mkt, Browning Hangar, 4550 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX

The Brooklyn Brewery House Chef will be cooking up some of his favorite finds from the market. And drinking beer. Stop by for a sip and a cooking tip.

The Austin Smoke Experiment
Sun, Mar 10, 1–4pm; Clive Bar, 609 Davis St, Austin, TX – $15 | Austin’s top home chefs create their best smoke-themed dish ranging from savory to sweet. Some wear costumes, some pimp out their table, but all come to win over the audience and our esteemed culinary judging panel. The Food Experiments return to SxSW for the third year in a row.

The SxSW Marketing Party
Sun, Mar 10, 7:30pm; Clive Bar, 609 Davis St, Austin, TX – Free | Brooklyn Brewery, Found Footage & Imgur are throwing a party featuring music by Brooklyn bands Prince Rama, The Dig and Sinkane, odd, rare and outrageous VHS clips from Found Footage Festival, projection art by Nuit Blanche and beer from Brooklyn Brewery.

Check back for a Mash Austin recap from Brooklyn Brewery House Chef Andrew Gerson (@BKLYNhouseChef).

Bloody Hell, Found Footage Festival Survives Europe

Thanks, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, and The Netherlands, for an incredible three weeks of Found Footage Festival shows. We made a lot of new friends and found a lot of new videos, not to mention a lot of really creepy postcards. Even though we never quite figured out your toilets, or why you love toast so much, we enjoyed every minute of your hospitality and comical misunderstandings.

When we arrived in London, we quickly realised (see, no ‘z’) we were the oldest ones in our hostel by at least 17 years. But we made the most of it and set our minds to dreaming about the sunbathing on the pebbly beaches of Brighton a few days later. Above, you can see some of the views from our shitty hotel rooms.

At the Soho Theatre in London, Brooklyn Brewery bought everyone a beer during our first three shows.That was great. And we didn’t look stupid ordering some weird, warm British ale or bitters or whatever it is they called beer there.

The first thing we noticed in the UK was how much like us they looked. If they didn’t open their mouths, we’d almost have sworn were back in Brooklyn. Just try to figure out who are British and who are Brooklyn in this photo? We’re in the picture and we still can hardly tell.

It was our first 4th of July away from America, but we were heartened to find this T-shirt in a Manchester department store. We bought it on the spot…

…and these, because we didn’t want to stick out like tacky Americans while in England. Later that night, the audience was treated to more Brooklyn Brewery beer. And again the next night in Leeds.

On our way to the show in Amsterdam, we stopped in to a used record store and found the Dutch version of “Air Bud.” It’s called “Soccer Dog.” And while in Berlin, we played a game called the Painstation at the Computer Game Museum. It burns you, shocks you or whips you if your Pong ball gets past your paddle. First person to pull their hand away loses. Nick won. His hand lost.

In Leeds, we found a promising video called “Famous Tits & Arses,” however no one we showed it to recognized either the tits nor the arses as being famous. But everyone agreed that this “Doggy Christmas” lighter was the best score of the trip.

Oh, the shows? How were the shows? The shows were good. Did you see the awesome lighter we found with the dog in a Santa outfit on it?

50 States of Found Footage

The Found Footage Festival (from Brooklyn, NY) has been lucky enough to be supported on its 2012 tour of all 50 states by The Brooklyn Brewery. While on the road searching for America’s discarded VHS treasures and presenting them live in cities near you, we’ll be posting our adventures to the Brewery’s blog. We hope you enjoy our quixotic life!

Here’s the trailer we just cut for the all-new Volume 6 tour. Check it out. The A.V. Club has called it “Skull-crushingly funny.” We’re flattered.

The U.S. tour kicked off with our first-ever appearance in Hawaii last week. While there, we got a tip that a public library outside of Honolulu was getting rid of all their VHS tapes, so we paid them a visit and found a rare video by one of our favorite video stars, tai chi master Bob Klein. We also inaugurated our two-word interview challenge on a Honolulu morning TV show, where Nick worked in the phrase “agricultural chafer.” Don’t tell the TV station this, but we also stole a tape there labeled “Dentists Convention.” They’ll never miss it, right? The only drawback, no Brooklyn Brewery beer in Hawaii…yet.

On the way home from Hawaii, we made a stop in Colorado to visit two of our favorite video collectors: Andrew Novick in Denver and Joel Haertling in Boulder. You may know Andrew from the “Andrew’s Grab Bag” segment from FFF Volume 4. He’s the saint who gave us the infamous Venus II video, so a visit to his place is always a treat. We also paid a visit to America’s No. 1 garage saler, Joel Haertling, who gave us a dozen NASA training videos, a home movie labeled “Jessica,” and two glasses of refreshing ginger ale. What a guy! He’s opening a museum of all his garage sale finds, but his apartment already looked like a museum to us.

Right now, we are in Alaska. We’ve got a show in Fairbanks tonight and then on to Anchorage on June 1-2. After checking into our motel room at the Arctic Inn by the Flight Deck Lounge and opening the curtains, we decided to start a new photo series while on tour called “The View From Our Shitty Motel Room.”

We’re gearing up for the live DVD taping of the all-new Found Footage Festival: Volume 6 at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on one extraordinary night, Saturday, June 16th. There will be plenty of surprises and maybe even a very special guest just for this show, too.
And best of all, FFF and Brooklyn Brewery will host a pre-show and after-show party at nearby Cullen’s Bar & Grill (3741 N Southport Ave.). From 6-8pm, before the show, enjoy Brooklyn Lager at a special price and complimentary snacks. After the show, Brooklyn Summer Ale, Gold Standard, and EIPA will be featured on draft. Come join us before and after!

We look forward to seeing you on the road in 2012. Come join us when we are in your city. Check out our complete tour schedule on the FFF Tour Page. More dates added weekly.

Your pals,

Nick & Joe