BETALEVEL

Piracy – Karaoke – Conviviality
Saturday, September 5, 2009
10pm until late
Free

So, you’re at work. And it is the boss’s birthday. So a couple of the project managers get a spread from a fancy deli. You know, prosciutto, soppressata, capicola. Except they keep referring to it as “charcuterie.” Which, maybe, seems a bit precious. But they’ve got cheeses and bread and some low-alcohol “lunch wine.” Olives. Almonds. It’s a pretty high class affair. Nice.

But then there are also these square things. Dark chocolate, with a graham cracker and marshmallow. And you’re thinking to yourself, “These are the fanciest Mallomars I’ve ever eaten.” And you’re not sure if a fancy Mallomar is a good thing or a bad thing. They taste good, sure, but isn’t there something slightly odd about tarting up a Mallomar? About making a Mallomar — of all things — into some sort of bourgeois delicacy? You’re enjoying the fancy Mallomar but you’re not sure if you’re enjoying the enjoyment. You know?

Because, when it comes down to it, you’re a woman (or man) of simple tastes. A woman (or man) of the people. If you were a South American dictator, you wouldn’t tour the villages in a Mercedes with tinted windows. No, you would be on foot, on a dirt road. With the people. YOUR people.

However, you think, it is always the populists that end up the worst of criminals, isn’t it? They are the ones who end up dipping into the state coffers and handing out contracts to their nephews. They’re the ones with the secret death squads. And, let’s be honest, if you’ve made it all the way to the level of “dictator,” you’re probably not really just “one of the people” anyway. It’s complicated, for sure. Because by being unable to enjoy the simple pleasure of a not-so-simple version of a simple dessert…

Man, it’s not even tea time and your head is spinning.

Well, lucky for you, we can guarantee to you that no such conundrum will face you at this month’s Swap Meet. For, while we are indeed celebrating Colin’s birthday this month, any and all Mallomars — if there be Mallomars at all — will be of the typical, store-bought variety. They will come in a bright yellow package that, in three-dimensionally rendered type, proclaims, “MALLOMAR.”

(Be warned, though, that when it comes to our beer selection you might just have a problem…)

What Is It?

Swap Meet is monthly celebration of the cultural commons organized by The Royal Academy of Nuts+Bolts and Superbunker. We have a poorly-organized music exchange, enthusiastically amateur karaoke, and an overall Betalevel open house with snacks and drinks for all.

What to Bring?

• bring: your singin’ voice and dancin’ shoes (optional)
• bring: some storage media and/or some music filez and/or your personal music device of choice (optional)
• bring: drinks, snacks, or a kindly donation (optional)
• bring: a defiant sense of joy in the face of our eroding cultural freedoms (required)

What to Sing?

Here’s the house karaoke list.