OTBKB Music: Laura Cantrell on Saturday in Tribeca

 


LauraCantrell2 Laura Cantrell was born and raised in Nashville, but came to New York
City for college and never left.  She's not only a singer and
songwriter but a musicologist as well, serving as the proprietress as
The Radio Thrift Shop on WFMURolling Stone has called Laura "A
modern woman with an old-timey heart, with a voice pitched somewhere
between the bluesy realism of Lucinda Williams and the vintage
femininity of Kitty Wells."

Laura plays traditional country, alt-country and folk-rock as well.  The
title song from her debut album, Not The Trembling Kind, was written by
Jersey rocker George Usher.  She's also covered Gordon Lightfoot's
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Laura has opened for Elvis Costello and also for country music legend Charlie Louvin.

This time out
Laura's band includes Dave Schramm (guitarist for Yo La Tengo and later The Schramms), Jeremy Chatzky (bass player for Bruce
Springsteen's The Seeger Sessions), and Steve Goulding (drummer for
Graham Parker and The Rumour and The Mekons).   As she doesn't perform all that frequently at this point, it will be
well worth your while to see Laura tomorrow when she plays 92Y
Tribeca.  Opening for Laura will be Amy Allison.

Laura Cantrell, 92Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson Street (A or C Train to Canal
Street, exit the front of the train, and walk west to Hudson Street),
7pm (doors), 7:30 (show), $15.

 –Eliot Wagner

Real Deal: Interview with Joe Sitt


Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities

Here's an excerpt from a Q&A in The Real Deal with Joe Sitt, the developer who is selling 7 acres of land to the City.

You have squabbled with the city over this land since 2005,
when you began to buy it. Over that time, the surviving amusement park
section shrunk to a shell of its former self. How does it feel for this
deal to be completed?

Yes. It feels really good, because when you work hard, you want to see
something moving forward. This is an incredible opportunity to be
partners with the city government to create one of the most talked
about real-estate development in the United States in decades.

Initially, your plan called
for a $1.5 billion mix of time-share hotels and a glass-enclosed water
park, in what many compared with Las Vegas. Now that you will be
squeezed into a smaller plot, what will it be? Will it look like the
old renderings?

We have to redo all of our plans, but we will still have millions and
millions of square feet of apartments and hotels and retail and
restaurants and enclosed amusements. Yes, it will still have the Las
Vegas component to it. The latter versions of the renderings are close
to what it will be.

Earlier this year, the city offered to
buy 10.45 acres of your holdings there for $105 million, which works
out to about $229 a square foot. Now, the city has paid $320 a foot.
That’s a big increase. And that’s close to what Manhattan land sold for
at the peak. How did you do it?

Today’s focus is not about the dollars. I’m happy, but that’s not my
main focus. My happiness is having a partner in the city of New York
and a commitment of dollars to getting something done there.

Read more at The Real Deal.


Wedding Shoes for Eleanor


My friend Eleanor Traubman at Creative Times is getting married next week.   On Wednesday we went wedding shoe shopping.

"Sadie, Sadie Married Lady," I sang to her as we walked to the subway but she was unfamiliar with the song sung by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl.

By the end of the day Eleanor was calling me her shoe fairy or something like that. What I like about the shoe she chose (pictured left)  is the Lucite clear wedge heel and the very 1960's rhinestone beads that look like tiny disco balls. You can read the story at Creative Times. Here's an excerpt:

"You
can ask anyone. I wear running shoes every day for every occasion. I
have feet that require them; I'll spare you the details about why.

I
figured that getting married was a good enough excuse to ditch the
tennies and go for something that seemed fairytale princess-like.

First, I did an online search for wedding shoes. I found a pair I
really liked on the Macys wesbite called The Nina Gamma Evening Shoe.

My
friend Louise Crawford, who is a lot of fun and a great scout, offered
to take me on the hunt. First, we went to Macy's in search of the
Ninas. They did not have the shoe I wanted. It was beyond mobbed
because of Veterans Day being a day off work for many and also a sale
day. I tried on something else but it was white satin-y fabric which
gets dirty quickly. More importantly, it was not the Nina Gamma…"

Modern Dance in Park Slope on Sat: The Free Impresarios Are At It Again

Syren120805100_0796a.jpeg
I got an email yesterday from the folks (The Free Impresarios) who presented the opera group, Suor Angelica, in Park Slope last year. I was delighted to hear that they're up to their old tricks again and are presenting a dance performance once again in the auditorium of St. Francis Xavier on President Street.

This Saturday, November 14, at 7:30 PM, SYREN dance performs "the last of the leaves," a highly physical dance, which uses the driving and churning
idiosyncrasies of John Adam’s
“Shaker Loops" to explore the mysteries surrounding the cycles of human
life. Birth, illness, death, and the different energies needed to
experience them, are points of departure for this piece as eight
dancers journey through qualities both distant and tender."

At St. Francis Xavier Auditorium in Park Slope November 14, at 7:30PM.
736 President Street. ONE NIGHT ONLY. Tickets:
$20 (cash only at the door. More information: info@syrendance.org

Dear Friends,
We have sprung into action again as the "Free Impresarios", producing our second cultural event in Park Slope: SYREN, a wonderful dance company for one performance on Saturday November 14th.
After last spring's superb opera event, Suor Angelica, the reaction was so wonderful that we thought we'd try it again.
The
1907 school auditorium of St. Francis Xavier on President Street is the
venue, with its glorious stained glass ceiling, beautifully decorated
walls and historic murals. I've lived in Park Slope since 1967 and I never knew what was inside that building!
There
is only one performance, the very reasonable tickets benefit the dance
company and help the school via the rental. This time, tickets are
available in advance! 
Joining us for the evening would be a great way to support a very worthy dance company and enjoy a fall evening.

All the best,

Phyllis & Mitch (with Haydée and Julio)
Some tools:

Here are 3 links:

1.  Direct link to sales page on Smarttix:

http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?EID=&showCode=SYR4&GUID=fcf97700-ecec-4457-9278-08da2b6fd787

2. A link to a promotional 3 minute edited version of "the last of the leaves":

http://www.syrendance.org/html/gallery-videos.html

3.  A link to the calendar page on SYREN's website:

http://www.syrendance.org/html/calendar.html

The Weekend List: Bike Photos, Dutch Food, SYREN Dance, Precious, Louis & Capathia

THEATER: At BAM "vindication and malicious intents have never been more rapturous than in director Robert Wilson's Quartett. Written by German playwright Heiner Müller (as a highly condensed adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses), this work is an extraordinary expression of innocence lost." With Isabelle Huppert.

CIRCUS: At BAM, "the human body unfolds as a surreal rock and roll fantasy in Inside Out, Swedish troupe Cirkus Cirkör's phantasmagoric journey into the outer reaches of inner life."

DANCE: On Saturday, November 14, at 7:30 PM SYREN
presents last of the leaves: "highly physical using the driving and churning idiosyncrasies of John Adam’s
“Shaker Loops” to explore the mysteries surrounding the cycles of human
life. Birth, illness, death, and the different energies needed to
experience them, are points of departure for this piece as eight
dancers journey through qualities both distant and tender." At St. Francis Xavier Auditorium in Park Slope . 736 President Street. ONE NIGHT ONLY. Tickets: $20 (cash only at the door. More information: info@syrendance.org

FILM: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Saphire is at the Park Slope Pavilion and at  BAM and other theaters.

MUSIC: On Saturday, November 14 at 7 PM, Joe's Pub presents Louis Rosen & Capathis Jenkins. They perform songs from their new album The Ache of Possibility. 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.

FREE BIKE PHOTOS: On Sunday, November, 15 11 AM until 3 PM at the Old Stone House, professional photographer Keiko Niwa will photograph cyclists alongside their bikes. Receive a hi-res image for personal use, and be profiled on the New York Bike Jumble website showing off your bike and telling others why you choose to ride.

COLONIAL STYLE DUTCH MEAL: Old First
Dutch Reformed Church
host an authentic 17th-century service with period
costumes and music followed by a Dutch meal. It all begins at 11 AM at Old First. 729 Carroll St. at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 638-8300.

Tonight: Paul Auster at Powerhouse Arena!

Resized_invisible_web
Sorry for such late notice. But I just remembered to list this. If you're not doing anything or can manage to get away:

Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO is hosting a free reading, book signing and discussion with Paul Auster:

 
John Freeman, editor of Granta and former chair of the National Book
Critics Circle, will host the evening and discuss with Auster his new book, which has been heralded as his most passionate and surprising
book to date.

The event kicks off at 7:00 PM. RSVP to invisible@powerhousearena

City Buys Sitt’s Holdings in Coney Island: New Stage of Revitalization Begins

DSC02944
The city paid $95.6 million for 7 key acres in Coney Island owned by Joe Sitt, of Thor Properties. This appears to be very good news and there is hope, once again, that Coney Island can and will be the wonderland it once was—an amusement oasis for the citizens of New York City.

Kinetic Carnival, one of Coney Island's notable blogs, shares the news and has links to all of today's coverage on blogs and in the media.

A major turning point in the Coney Island revitalization saga happened yesterday as the City bought most of Sitt's hold on Coney Island. Which in the end proves Sitt was who we always thought he was: a speculator. The city has agreed to pay $95.6 million for 6 or so acres of Sitt's land he owned in Coney Island. Most of that is the land in the core of the amusement area including the former Astroland lot. What Sitt still owns in Coney Island is still questionable as what will be the situation there.

Pix of Coney Island in the snow by Hugh Crawford

It’s Time to Send In Your Suggestions For the Park Slope 100

It's that time of year again. On Monday, December 14th I will roll out the 2009 Park Slope 100.

So what is the Park Slope 100?  Here's how I described it last year.

The Park Slope 100 is 100 stories, 100 ways of looking at the world, 100 inspiring people,
places and things in and around Park Slope. It can be a person, a place, a thing, even an event. Let me know who, what and where was notable and powerful and 2009. One tip: I especially like people who direct their energies outward towards the better good of others in some way. Suggest yourself, your spouse, your relative, your friend.

Send your suggestions to me: louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Here are some of the people that made the list last year. To see more go to The Park Slope 100.

BRENDA BECKER because in 2008 you decided to visit Prospect
Park every day as an urban adventure (and, not least, as a drug-free
antidepressant!), and to chronicle your discoveries. And you're still
trying to get to the park every day, and posting about it on your blog,
A Year in the Park,
a site the New York Times called "witty and engaging" in a profile last
July. "It was fun getting some Old Media attention for 15 minutes,"
comments Becker, "but the real gift was connecting to so many other
people, from cyclists to dog lovers, who are also passionate about
Prospect Park. The calendar is a way to share that passion."

SALLY BERMANZOHN because you were a labor organizer at the
Duke Hospital cafeteria with your husband Paul, who was critically
wounded in the Greensboro Massacre in 1979. Currently you are professor
and chairperson of the Political Science Department at Brooklyn
College, where you research and teach courses on the international
phenomenon of truth and reconciliation commissions. And that's not all. You're the author of Through Survivors’ Eyes: From the Sixties to the Greensboro
Massacre (2003),
for which you received the Brooklyn College Award for
Excellence in Creative Achievement. You are also featured in Adam
Zucker's documentary, Greensboro; Closer to the Truth.

ANDREA BERNSTEIN because as political director for
WNYC and
The Takeaway, your reporting of Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign was
always top notch, as were your stories from battleground states. Kudos
for
being one of 12 top U.S. journalists to win a Knight Fellowship at
Stanford University in 2006-2007.

Blow190v_2CHARLES BLOW because as the New York Times' visual Op-Ed columnist and an award-winning art director, you
bring a decidedly visual style to that page, a great writing style and
a distinctive point of view.

BRADLEY FELDMAN because your geeky weather tower is working
24/7/365 days a year to bring Park Slopers the temperature, the
windchill, the humidity and a live image detailed weather,
radar/satellite map, 5-day forecaster and pollen levels. Your weather site is quite a service to the community.

PATRICK GASPARD because Barack Obama appointed you national political director of his  presidential campaign and the rest is history.

3060318454_dd591e1094_o RICHARD GIN
because you are the self-designated photographer of the Brooklyn
all-ages music scene and you get the shots that everyone loves.
Pictured left Fiasco.

GINO'S COLLISION because you fixed my father's
Subaru for a reasonable price and we love the adorable bright orange
Fiat 500 that you park right outside. Classy.

Hodgman_3
JOHN HODGMAN because you play
the PC guy in those funny Apple commercials and we love your hilarious,
and completely fake, trivia books (“The Areas of My Expertise” and the
new “More Information than You Require”), your regular appearances as
the resident expert on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and your
citing of Park Slope as a utopian commune ruled by children. 

08freelance_span_2 SARA HOROWITZ,
because as executive director of Freelancers Union and CEO of
Freelancers Insurance Company you're trying to bring affordable health
care to us freelancers. A lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY, you come
from a long line of
labor advocates, including your father, who was a labor lawyer, and
your grandfather, who was vice president of the International Ladies’
Garment Workers Union. You studied at Cornell University's School of
Industrial and
Labor Relations and later
earned a
master's degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.You
are the recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Fellowship (also known a genuis award). 

6a00d83455999069e200e54f3ad79788335
ALISON HOUTTE because you are the flamboyant and fabulous owner of Hooti Couture,
a vintage store at 321 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, that specializes in
women's and men's clothes and accessories. Before getting into the
vintage business you worked as a model for more than 10 years in Paris
and Manhattan, appearing in everything from Vogue magazine to a Dr
Pepper television commercial—and you still look like one. Your store
has been featured in Women's Wear Daily, The New York Times and many
other publications

Do You Know Death? Adult Ed Seeking Lecturers

Adult Education is now seeking lecturers for its program on
Tuesday, December 1. The theme this time will be, simply, "death." We
welcome ideas for lectures somehow related to death and dying, whether
the death in question is metaphorical, literal, animal, spiritual, or
other. Per usual, the lecture should make an argument or follow through
a consistent point. It should also draw heavily on visual aids. Humor
is welcome.

If interested, organizer Carrie Mclaren asks that you send pitch letter describing your idea with as
much detail as possible, along with a bit of background about yourself,
to adulted(at)stayfreemagazine(dot)org.

Tonight: Benefit at Bar Reis To Send Law Students To New Orleans

Remember Moira Meltzer Cohen? Last year she was one of the Park Slope 100, and a long-time bartender at Bar Reis? Now she's in law school and is already trying to reverse the injustice in the world. She's inviting all OTBKB readers to Bar Reis tonight for a benefit she's hosting to raise money for a great cause.

 I wanted to let you know about a project I'm
participating in through law school, where 14 students are going to New
Orleans to work with the Innocence Project, to try to exonnerate
prisoners who have been wrongly convicted.  I am having a fundraiser at
Bar Reis tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, starting at 8, and with music
at 10. 

I will be raffling off custom knit-wear, and the cover is only
$5 and there will be drink specials. I wondered if you would put it on the blog to
reach a wider social justice audience.  And I hope to see you soon!  I
work only Fridays now.

Williamsburg Bookstore Turns 10

Spoonbill & Sugartown BooksellersR

Thanks to Verse Responder, Leon Freilich for sending this Times' piece about the 10th anniversary of a great Williamsburg bookstore. What a nice coincidence Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers are celebrating their first decade during New York Independent Bookstore Week. Here from the City Room at the New York Times.

The seemingly endless recession, the growing attraction of Kindles
and the steady shuttering of bookstores gave the owners of one
bookstore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, even more reason to celebrate
today. They’re still open.

Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers
observed its 10th anniversary Tuesday morning with a ceremony on the
sidewalk in front of the shop, on Bedford Avenue. Over the din of
construction, a co-founder of the store, Miles Bellamy, urged the crowd
of about two dozen book lovers to reflect for 10 seconds on a book they
had read over the past decade. Then 10 women dressed in white sang a
song written by Mr. Bellamy in the store’s honor.

OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: The Messenger

The_messenger1
American movie trends that develop during wartime provide fascinating historical perspective. The fatalistic vision and confrontational nature of a new cinema defined the Vietnam era with Easy Rider, Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate and even Butch Cassidy informed by the conflict. And it is no accident that the Saw series and its new sub-genre, torture porn, thrived in the post-9/11 Bush era. During the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions, there have also been several movies that have gone right to the front lines. More movies have been made about these wars during the time of the conflict than any other in American history. A spate of documentaries have recorded the war. And a trickle of narrative films—modestly-budgeted pictures released by studio specialty arms—have made it to theaters. Heavier on emotion and contemplation than action (even the butch Hurt Locker was food for thought) these have been thought-provoking works that allow moviegoers to process the war.

The Messenger is all about the processing. Opening this week, the film follows two soldiers, played by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster (previously a teen love interest on Six Feet Under), assigned the duty of next of kin notification when a soldier dies in combat. During a war in which images of the dying and the dead have been censored by the government, the film derives its power from forcing you to look.  Not at gruesome images, but at those who have been wounded by loss.  Long, unflinching takes of notification scenes linger beyond the audience’s comfort zone.  And just as the audience and the NOK (as the next of kin are referred to in the film) are forced to face this pain, the protagonist soldiers must also come to grips with their role in the process. Harrelson’s grizzled vet and Foster’s disillusioned youth forge a common bond over their duty, how it is to be performed and their own status as men increasingly disturbed by their service.

This first time directorial effort from Oren Moverman (screenwriter of Jesus’ Son among others) captures the emotional vibe well. He also handles plot and character contrivances well, not letting them take over; a relationship between Foster and a widow played by Samantha Morton only manages to blossom into a non-romance. The cast is solid throughout, particularly Foster and Steve Buscemi in a brief role as a grieving father.

 Like In The Valley of Elah, The Messenger is a film about how the wars have affected life at home. Both films offer a strong perspective of our situation, but The Messenger is less overtly political (the film received the assistance of the military; Elah did not).  Given how long films take to make and release, the fact that these movies exist during the period of military action is a testament to the filmmakers and studio who get them made on the screen. The wars, however, linger on, rendering this speed-to-market less of an achievement.

–Pops Corn

Opening Today (Veterans Day): The Good Soldier, Doc by Park Slope Filmmakers

 
Good_soldier
The Good Soldier,
a powerful documentary directed by two Park Slope filmmakers, Lexy
Lovell and Michael Uys (DGA, Los Angeles Film Critics, and Peabody
Award winners for Riding the Rails), is being called "incendiary," and
"affecting" 

The film follows the journeys of five combat
veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up,
go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means
to be a good soldier. The film opens on November 11 (Armistice Veterans
Day) at 7PM at the Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave at 12th Street in Manhattan. 212-529-6799

Here's what Jason Albert of the Onion has to say:

"It's
hard to imagine watching a more affecting movie than The Good Soldier
… because it may be as affecting a movie as I've ever seen. It took
one seemingly simple question—What makes a good soldier?—and reduced
the answer to its essence. That being, the ability to kill other human
beings. Using the voices of veterans from WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War,
and Iraq, each gave this exact same answer, and they all spoke not only
of their guilt and regret, but also of how at some point during their
time in the military they needed to kill. Their reasons were different,
but the training that gave them the skills and permission was not. I
found it both hard to watch and hard to turn away from, and I know I'll
never look at the words ‘collateral damage' in the same way again.
Really powerful stuff."

Music by JJ Grey and Mofro, CSNY, Nine
Inch Nails, Big Bill Broonzy, Edwin Starr, Carly Comando, Muslimgauze,
and Jimmie Lunceford.

Five Dutch Days in Brooklyn

28
Claude Scales writes in the Brooklyn Heights blog:

Five Dutch Days
is an annual “celebration of  the continuous influence of Dutch arts
and culture in New York City and brings together arts and cultural
organizations from across the city,” begun in 2005 by 3 directors of Dutch-American sites in New York City.

Brooklyn’s part in this event commences at 6:00 this Thursday
evening, November 12, at Borough Hall, with a welcome from Borough
President Marty Markowitz, and a preview of the HOME/LAND art project, a portion of which will be at the Old Stone House this weekend.

And here are the details from The Old Stone House:

Heart is where the Home is: A Video Installation by Persijn Broersen and Margit Lukacs
 Curated by Jo-Anneke van der Molen. Through December 13.
 
Thursday, Nov. 12
3-4 pm: Artist & Curator talk with Persijn Broersen, Margit Lukacs and
Jo-Anneke van der Molen
Join us prior to the 5 DD kick-off at Brooklyn Boro Hall @  6 pm
 
Saturday, Nov. 14
7-9 pm:  Opening Party.  Celebrate the continuity of life with beer from Brouwerij Lane & live music.

Brooklyn Jews T-Shirts

6a00d83451f44f69e20120a66ed2ed970b-800wi.jpg
Here are some emails that passed between me and Carrie McClaren, the maker of this t-shirt. She also runs the Hawthorne Street blog and Stay Free Magazine. "I made some shirts in the style of the vintage Dodgers logo that say "Brooklyn Jews" and am selling them online here," she wrote on her blog. I think they'd make a fantastic Hanukkah gift.

From Carrie:

Louise,

Hi, I realize that Brooklyn t-shirts are a dime a dozen but thought you might appreciate this anyway:

http://www.hawthornestreet.com/2009/11/brooklyn-jews-now-recognizable-via-tshirts.html

From Louise:

These are great. And I see you're with Stay Free Magazine, too. I love that. Question: are these t-shirts connected with the religious group, Brooklyn Jews? It's a group of reform/progressive Jews located at Congregation Beth Elohim. I love the t-s and will post about them as the coolest Hanukkah gift.

From Carrie:

hey, Louise, thanks a ton!  And, um, no, no connection to Beth
Elohim. I hadn't even heard of them until now. I made these for
entertainment purposes – but maybe I should ask them if they want
some shirts (emoticon)

I haven't yet printed any up beyond the ones that I made for my
family, though I've been toying with the idea of getting some
professionally silk-screened and offering them to local stores.

carrie

OTBKB Music: The Zevonathon at Banjo Jim’s on Thursday

Image The songs of Warren Zevon were populated by what had to be the
strangest assortment of characters in rock: werewolves, lawyers,
headless Thompson gunners, junkies, diplomats and mutineers.  Although
Warren left us in 2003, his songs and characters live on.  Tomorrow at
Banjo Jim's, an all star cast will celebrate the dirty life and times of
Mr. Zevon.  I'm sure that you'll not only hear the well known tunes,
but some obscure ones as well.  Banjo Jim's  is one of the most laid
back places to hear music around and this is a free show.

The Warren Zevonathon, A Tribute to Warren Zevon, Banjo Jim's, 9th
Street and Avenue C (F Train to 14th Street, transfer to the 14D bus
going east, exit at 11th Street and Avenue C), 8:30pm, Free.

 –Eliot Wagner

What To Do On A Tuesday Night

At the Knitting Factory, showtime at 8 PM:

S_7a259bc9253b479abb8511afb11a4c1a
Chris Cochrane

Since moving to New York City, Chris has performed regularly in bands and improvised with hundreds of players. He is considered to be one of the most brilliant, daring, singular guitarists and songwriters out there. In addition to his rare solo recordings and work with a number of bands, including the legendary, groundbreaking experimental prog unit NO SAFETY, which he co-founded with harpist Zeena Parkins, he has played live and/or recorded with an astounding array of similarly great musicians (John Zorn, Bongwater, Fred Frith, Mike Patton, Marc Ribot, Ikue Mori, …) visual artists, and choreographers. Filling out the trio are Hanna Fox (drums and vocals) and Tim Thomas (bass and vocal) of Babe the Blue Ox fame.

CeramicDogsmall
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog with guest Eszter Balint

Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, a post-everything band combining the energies of two masters of downtown New York City mayhem: guitarist/vocalist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, John Zorn, Robert Plant, T-Bone Burnett, Marianne Faithful, Lounge Lizards, Elvis Costello) and bassist Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Will Oldham, Jolie Holland, Secret Chiefs 3), with West Coast indie/experimental genius drummer Ches Smith (Xiu Xiu, Secret Chiefs 3, Trevor Dunn’s Trio Convulsant). Ribot is a widely recognized original on the guitar, with influence across multiple genres of music, including rock, jazz, punk, Latin, soul, 80s No-Wave, avant-garde and noise. Ceramic Dog draws all of this, along with Ismaily and Smith’s indie / electronica experimentation, into the power-packed Party Intellectuals.

MuniMeters Installed on Seventh Avenue

MuniMeter to Be Near Tarzian
For the past few days, there have been rectangular posts
popping up on Seventh Avenue around Third Street.  It wasn't clear what
their purpose was.  Today I came upon a man painting one of those
posts.  He told me that these posts were the base for the MuniMeters
which are going to be installed on Seventh Avenue.  Once they are in,
he said, the older parking meters will be removed.

–Eliot Wagner

Nov 14, 21, 22 at 7 PM: Capathia Jenkins and Louis Rosen at Joe’s Pub

Cap1
CAPATHIA
JENKINS & LOUIS ROSEN – THE ACHE OF POSSIBILITY
November
14, 21 and 22 at 7:00 PM

"Jenkins will knock you flat….I've never been so
seduced by music completely new to me yet as embraceable as any from the
classic American songbook."
(Bloomberg News' Jeremy Gerard)
"Mr. Rosen’s earthy, tuneful songs…are notable, a
continually shifting musical patchwork of blues, folk, jazz and pop ….As
Ms. Jenkins sang in a sweet, sunny voice with an undertone of resolve, a poet
in touch with her life force smiled through the music
." (NY Times,
Stephen Holden
).

The team of outstanding jazz/pop and Broadway vocalist CAPATHIA JENKINS
and award-winning songwriter/guitarist and arranger LOUIS ROSEN returns
to the Pub to celebrate the release of their third CD, THE ACHE OF POSSIBILITY
(Di-Tone). The new album includes twelve new songs, eight with music and lyrics
by Louis, and four with words by their favorite collaborator, the renowned poet
Nikki Giovanni. These are songs of love and politics and choices; songs that
capture the mood and spirit of this moment—THE ACHE OF POSSIBILITY.

Louis (on guitar) will lead their acclaimed band, which includes Rob
Moose
on electric guitar and violin; Andrew Sterman, flute,
saxophone and clarinet; Richie Vitale on Trumpet and Fluegelhorn; Mark
Sherman
, vibraphone and percussion; Dave Phillips, bass; Gary
Seligson
on drums, and Aisha de Haas, background vocals.

The concerts will also feature songs from Capathia and Louis’ first two
albums, ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH: The Nikki Giovanni Songs (PS Classics, 2008) and
SOUTH SIDE STORIES (RoseCap, 2006).

 

Greetings From Scott Turner: Rearranging Your Emotional Living Room

Here is this week's Greetings from Scott Turner, our friend the pub quizzer Thursday nights at Rocky Sullivan's.This post is, as always, brought to you by Miss Wit of the t-shirt maven of Red Hook.

Greetings Pub Quiz Grab-baggers…

Which is a good deal
different than tea-bagging.  In fact, depending on which tea-bagging
you prefer, that in itself is a good deal different than the other
kinds of tea-bagging.

Back to grab-bagging.  That's what I'm doing here tonight. 
Listening to an on-line reggae station and thinking that this week
feels like everyone's rearranging their emotional living rooms.

First, this announcement.  I'll be leaving my quizmaster duties because Aerosmith is auditioning new lead singers.  Steven Tyler has left the band (apparently).  I believe I'm the front runner to replace Tyler as Aerosmith's new lead singer.

Steven Tyler
Steven– er, Brand Tyler.  Really — the good looks of a rock god.

Do not wish me luck.  I won't need it.

Mia Tyler, Steve's daughter, gossiped on Twitter that, well…""They are in their 60s now," she wrote. "Let them do what they wanna
do! & can someone please tell (Joe Perry) that gossiping on Twitter
is uncalled (for)!"  They never do teach Irony in Rock Star Children's Finishing Home.

The Sammy Sosa What The Hell? controversy.

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Sosa
and his people claim it's a skin-rejuvenation thing.  He does look
happy.  Perhaps even rejuvenated.  But Sosa always looks happy.  Except
that time testifying in front of Congress.  No one ever looks happy doing that.  Even if rejuvenating their skin.

Here in Brooklyn, Bruce Ratner decided to succumb to
both honesty and an unhealthy bout of arrogance.  Bristling under
otherwise friendly-fire questioning from Crain's New York Business, Ratner deflected a query about what the rest of the Atlantic Yards project, after the arena, might look like.  From Crain's:

Mr. Ratner refuses to discuss what the project will look like,
whether or not it will include an office building and even who will
design the first residential tower, which he's slated to break ground
on early next year.

Initially, the project called for four office
towers, but by early this year, only one was on the drawing boards.
Asked when it will go up, Mr. Ratner responds with a question: “Can you
tell me when we are going to need a new office tower?”

He has no
intention of sharing the designs for the complex. “Why should people
get to see plans?” he demands. “This isn't a public project. We will
follow the guidelines.”


What, me worry?

Billions in potential public subsidies,
eminent domain condemnations and political goodwill from electeds who'd
never back this thing if it hadn't been sold as a "public benefit" for
six years  Ratner comes clean…by admitting how dirty it all is.  The
ultimate "sit down, shut up and trust me" operator.

On happier notes, Susan Boyle is singing on this week's So You Think You Can Dance With The Stars Who Aren't Idols Or Top Chef Models.

Hurricane Ida is barely a tropical storm as it hits the Gulf Coast.  But it was enough for oil companies to shutter their off-shore rigs and raise gas prices.

http://thedewview.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/susan-boyle.jpg
Workers survey the Hurricane Ida-swelled waves on a beach in Cancun, Mexico, Sunday.
there are storms and then there are storms.

The House passed
a health reform bill.  Aside from not allowing insurance companies to
deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, not sure who, what or how it
reforms.

The new video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, lets you role-play as armed insurgents, a.k.a. terrorists, and attack civilians.

Tough choices: Players can decide whether to attack civilians in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Modern Warfare 2 — it sure does look modern and filled with 2-ness

Finally — and what self-respecting Quizmaster wouldn't save this for the end? — this item from the BBC.

Penis tissue replaced in the lab

Rabbit

Tissue created in a laboratory has been used to completely replace the erectile tissue of the penis in animals.

The advance raises hopes of being able to restore full function to human penises that have been damaged by injury or disease.

The work was carried out on rabbits.

Nov 11: Independent Bookstore Week Kick Off Party

Independent-bookstore-print-72dpi11
Celebrate Indie Bookselling in NYC!
Kick Off Party for
Independent Bookstore Week NYC
November 11, 2009
at powerHouse Arena
7-10 PM

Schedule:
7 PM
Reception (wine and/or beer and light snacks)
Live music by Mark Ettinger

7:30 PM
Brief remarks from local writers on independent bookselling in NYC
Kurt Andersen (Reset and Heyday)
Michael Greenberg (Hurry Down Sunshine and Beg, Borrow Steal)
Jennifer Egan (The Keep, The Invisible Circus and Look at Me)
Josh Neufeld (A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge)
Sharon Zukin (Naked City, The Cultures of Cities, Point of Purchase)
John Sargent, CEO, Macmillan

9:00 PM
Performance by Brooklyn’s own Jones Street Station

9:45 PM
Raffle Drawing

Prizes include books and a special signed edition of the poster
created by Bruce McCall for this event.
Books by the featured authors will be on sale throughout the evening.
Posters (signed and unsigned) will be available as well as IBNYC totes.
There will be a selection of book and book-related giveaways donated by the publishers.
Suggested donation at the door of $10 to benefit The Independent Booksellers of NYC (IBNYC)

Nov 19: Young Writers Night at Brooklyn Reading Works

Writing_journal
A night of
original fiction, poetry and music from teenagers across the city, featuring:

 

Fiction and poetry: Hannah Frishberg, Maria Robins Somerville, Ben
Waldman and Avery Whitted.

 

Songwriters: Lily Konigsberg, Heather Boo, Lucio Westmoreland, Henry Crawford and Eli Greenhoe

 

Surprise
Guests!

 

At the Old
Stone House

Fifth Avenue
and Third Street in Park Slope

at 7 PM (note
early starting time!)

$5 suggested
donation includes refreshments

theoldstonehouse.org

The Good Soldier by Park Slope Doc Filmakers Opens on Veterans Day

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The Good Soldier, a powerful documentary directed by two Park Slope filmmakers, Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys (DGA, Los Angeles Film Critics, and Peabody Award winners for Riding the Rails), is being called "incendiary," and "affecting" 

The film follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. The film opens on November 11 (Armistice Veterans Day) at 7PM at the Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave at 12th Street in Manhattan. 212-529-6799

Here's what Jason Albert of the Onion has to say:

"It's hard to imagine watching a more affecting movie than The Good Soldier … because it may be as affecting a movie as I've ever seen. It took one seemingly simple question—What makes a good soldier?—and reduced the answer to its essence. That being, the ability to kill other human beings. Using the voices of veterans from WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and Iraq, each gave this exact same answer, and they all spoke not only of their guilt and regret, but also of how at some point during their time in the military they needed to kill. Their reasons were different, but the training that gave them the skills and permission was not. I found it both hard to watch and hard to turn away from, and I know I'll never look at the words ‘collateral damage' in the same way again. Really powerful stuff."

Music by JJ Grey and Mofro, CSNY, Nine Inch Nails, Big Bill Broonzy, Edwin Starr, Carly Comando, Muslimgauze, and Jimmie Lunceford.