Tarrus Riley comes to J&R Music World (directions) Tuesday, August 4th for a 12:30 pm in-store performance, after which he will sign copies of his new album, Contagious.

The secret to the success of Tarrus Riley, believe it or not, is quite simple - “when preparation meets opportunity”, stated a self-assured Riley. “I’ve been surrounded by music all my life. My father is a singer and my mother is a bathroom singer”, he explains with a chuckle. “Because I can’t change the world, I sing for the people - this is the contribution I can make and after I make a song; it isn’t even mine anymore; it belongs to the people.”
Continue Reading »

The Indigo Girls will be performing live at J&R on June 12th in support of their latest CD, “Poseidon And The Bitter Bug“. The performance starts at 1pm and will be followed immediately by an autograph signing.

J&R is located on Park Row in Lower Manhattan. For directions, click here. Continue Reading »

If you are down near Park Row around lunch time today, stop by J&R to meet Rob Schneider. Rob will be here signing autographs of his latest movie and directorial debut, Big Stan. Rob was also kind enough to answer five quick questions for us the other day.

Who were some of your comedy influences?

Some of my favorite comedy influences are: Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Monty Python, Steve Martin, the original cast of SNL, Peter Sellers, and Danny Kaye.

Are you a techie? If so, what are some of the current gadgets you are using?

I have an antique cell phone that I carry around. It weighs about 9lbs and it’s like a mobile booth phone. I don’t have an iPod or a blackberry but I did just purchase the Rosetta Stone so I can learn Spanish, which I have only practiced for a few hours.

What can you tell us about your next project?

Right now, I am working on a romantic comedy called, “You May Not Kiss The Bride,” directed by Robert Heden. It stars Mena Suvari, David Annable and Katharine McPhee. I am also going to be working on a movie in Boston this summer called, “Lake House” with Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock and Kevin James. Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf both wrote the script for the film.

Who was your favorite character to play on SNL?

Some of my favorite characters I have played on SNL were the copy machine guy, the sensitive naked guy, as well as the homeless guy on the subway who sang songs.

How did your catch phrase, “You can do it!” come about? Is there any story behind it?

Tim Hurley, former writer for SNL who’s also worked with Adam Sandler on a lot of his movies, came up with the phrase. He told me to get on a plane to Florida and have fun with, “You can do it!” It started as an inside joke between Adam and I. Adam knew it was going to become a catchy phrase.

____________________________________
You can check out this clip of Rob talking about the film on the WPIX Morning Show’s Blog.

Spike Lee stopped by J&R on Friday, February 13th, to sign copies of his latest DVD & Blu-Ray “Miracle of St. Anna” for a long line of awaiting fans. If you weren’t lucky enough to get down here to meet Spike, you can check out the photos from the event below.

Spike Lee, called “not only one of the best filmmakers in America, but one of the most crucially important,” by film critic Roger Ebert, is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated film director, producer, writer, and actor. Mr. Lee will be signing DVD and Blu-ray copies of “Miracle at St. Anna,” at J&R Music World on Friday, February 13th at 7pm.