Monday Night Open Mic, August 23, 2010 and Urban Barnyard

I had fun last night but I have to admit I was more in a roaming and socializing mood than a sitting down and listening mood, so with a certain degree of chagrin I don't have much to say about the performances. However I did want to mention that while sitting in the bar area at Sidewalk I spotted a glimpse of Dibs passing by and sprung outside to say hello. Many of you may know that Dibs has moved to Oakland but is back in town for a brief while. Part of his visit will include a performance at Sidewalk on Thursday with Urban Barnyard. I would strongly recommend that everyone reading this who is available attend the show. Urban Barnyard is a force of music that will captivate you. If you're not familiar with them, please just take my word for it and go.

Above is a photo I took of Urban Barnyard a while back for Urban Folk magazine. I can't pinpoint why exactly, but it has always been a sentimental favorite of mine. Maybe it has to do with my love of the band or just whatever was in the air that day that we did this at Sidewalk.

Antifolk Fest, Wednesday, August 11, by Guest Correspondent, J. J. Hayes

Our guest correspondent J. J. Hayes was on the scene at Sidewalk for the Antifolk Fest acts Wednesday. Here is his report:

By J. J. Hayes

Here is my humble stream of consciousness report about Wednesday's doings:

Clinical Trials (a/k./a Somer) was on at 7:00, and I haven't seen her do straight up acoustic set in a while but she was totally in the face of every song she did and her own face was expressing some kind of pitch perfect raw emotion in just about every song. She also snuck in a cover of She-Bop, which led to a discussion outside about other songs which have the same subject matter, or at least apparently do. Like Jackson Browne's "Rosie" and the Who's "Pictures of Lily." I therefore missed Dan Killian's set and cannot comment. Soce The Elemental Wizard -- first time I ever caught a full Soce set, if 1/2 hour be a full set. I cannot complain about a man who will free style Jon Berger's suggestion to rap about Thursday on a Wednesday, and in fact enjoyed the whole thing immensely. After Soce was Barry Bliss, which is where the evening got going for me. Barry did what may be called a laid back set. Barry himself commented that his 1/2 hour ended just as he was felt he was hitting stride. Yet there was something really important, it seemed to me, about a non-intense Barry Bliss set, just a man simply laying down a classic song like "Joan of Arc' (I mean Barry's Song of that title is a classic, not tht he covered Leonard Cohen's Joan of Arc) in a not so crowded but darkened candlelit venue. Dudes, I wish to cry to the rest of the world, you are missing something exceedingly special. Barry's relatively new American Dream should be heard by many people. He finished with his song about how fame is not going to be something most performers on this scene are ever going to be playing arenas with tons of groupies and limos. That song may have been written to someone who really thought they were going to get famous from the music or perhaps from the songwriter to himself, in any case, done in the rather laid back non-angry manner it was so matter of fact in this performance, that one could simply accept the state of affairs that this is not a place for fame and yet it is so artistically compelling on an evening like this that one thinks you know this is as important as any moment in rock and roll history except no one is going to be talking about, because it is not part of the mainstream conversation. Rav Shmuel was next, he did at least three love songs and the tip jar was being passed before we even settled into the set but here's the thing, oh reader, you must hear Rav's new song, his final song which I think he forced into the line-up beyond the two songs after tip jar rule. It is called Being and Becoming and it is I declare required listening. This song had people listening intently and applauding strongly. I had my eyes on Sam James who seemed entranced by it. Sam was up next and somehow coming off of Rav's final song his whole set seemed particularly compelling as if he took some of that existential force from Being and Becoming and imbued that alternative mythical world that Sam James and the songs of Sam James inhabits with urgency. It started me thinking that some singers sing from their particular world (as in Somer, Bliss and Shmuel) but others seem to be exploring a world most of us have thought to be long gone. But these old ballads and this old style, this world which predates even the old weird America, and is more like the old weird English Scots border, has many corners yet to be explored and James is like someone who the longer he stays in this far away country which is really just behind you and to the left out of the corner of your eye becomes more and more fluent in the language and knows places only the natives know about, and is willing to share them in a dark room in the east village. And then Turner Cody. Cody's set (with Spencer Chakedis on mandolin for a number of songs) was easily one of the the best sets I have heard in a while. It was fairly impeccable. Where Sam James was coming from the mist covered green woodlands on the borders of some ancient place, cody was coming out of dryer climes. It was like the southern European mainland, greek island or old desert west, to James's british islands. Cody, like James, is willing to use old poetic synactical strangenesses without blinking and fluently. Listening to Turner Cody is like listening to someone who really believes that that old poetic diction, that worldview of the old ballads, can give us insight into a world where people run around driving Ferraris, and he ends up convincing you that the old weird world never really left us. Or even that the present world is weirder now then you imagine and is utterly capable of being mapped onto the older pathways.

Didn't get to see The Relatives or Drew Blood.

Myron Revives Vaudeville's Magic Delicatessen

On Sunday, August 8 at 9 p.m. magician Myron the Magnificent will revive part of a classic conjuring routine, originally performed by his grandfather--Mervyn the Magnificent--in 1923. The trick was part of Mervyn's Magic Delicatessen --the only magic show ever to have involved deli food. The trick will be part of an all new Myron the Magnificent show at Sidewalk Cafe as part of the Antifolk Fest. This is sure to be a spectacular evening of amazing miracles not to be missed!

Antifolk Fest Photos Part II-Jason Trachtenburg

Antifolk Fest Photos

I hope to be back with some more info about the last couple of nights of the Antifolk Fest, but I'm busy working with Myron the Magnificent on his act for tomorrow. In the meantime here are some photos of Hank and Pigeon, Ray Brown, Supercute, and the Pendulum Swings (featuring Jason Trachtenburg) from Thursday and Friday. For technical reasons I might have to break this up into two posts.

Monday Night Open Mic, August 2, 2010 and The Fest

The Antifolk Festival kicks off tonight at Sidewalk, and last night's Open Mic saw a strong representation of the acts playing this week. I was very impressed by most of the first 10 or so artists who performed last night, including Morgan and Alex P., Ray Brown, Dan Mo, Charles Mansfield, Jesse Lee, Jon Berger Mike Rechner, and Jonathan Vincent among others. I had not noticed Jesse Lee before, but he was a standout. Ben K. kicked things off performing a cover of Domino's song Princess as a duet with Corey the puppet. I believe that Domino would have appreciated this unique interpretation, although I didn't see her there last night. Major Matt, Brook Pridemore, Timothy Dark, Master Lee (Chink Floyd), and many others also turned in strong performances. Myron the Magnificent pulled colorful streamers from the neck of a borrowed guitar and produced coins at his fingertips and from random items borrowed from the audience. Later Level II performed Wanderlust, which included a puppet performance merged with a burlesque routine.

In years past I have been subject to Fest burnout by somehow finding myself drawn like a magnet to just about every show. If you're one of those types I recommend pacing yourself or by the end of this week your eyes will be glazed (and you'll be staring at the Sidewalk Menu hoping to find that one fabulous dish that you just haven't spotted till now--by the way, $2 for an extra serving of pita--come on). Anyway I know that this year I myself will have to miss several of the shows for a variety of reasons, so I am repeating my entreaties for interested correspondents who would like to write up even the briefest of reports on the various nights. Please contact me if you're interested. And don't forget to bring lots of singles if you want to tip the multitude of act playing.

The Antifolk Fest is usually rewarded with a couple blurbs in the press. Most often they emphasize the weird or marginal aspects of the groups that play. I don't know how weird or marginal we really are--well, ok, marginal, maybe, but honestly I think there's room for a lot more weirdness at Sidewalk these days. But anyway, it's good to be noticed and I was glad to see that The New Yorker singled out a couple of interesting groups. Here are the blurbs:

The New Yorker - http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/nightlife/2010/08/09/100809goni_GOAT_nightlife
SIDEWALK CAFÉ
94 Avenue A (212-473-7373)—Aug. 3-13: The Summer Antifolk Festival. For those who know little or nothing about New York’s antifolk scene and who want to learn more, this annual gathering is a simple and exhaustive solution. More than sixty acts performing a diverse program of music and spoken word are expected, in keeping with this venue’s long-running open-mic night and its tradition of being, well, weird. The festival showcases new talent like the ragtag xylophone-and-guitar duo Crazy and the Brains and the colorful all-girl teen-age trio Supercute!, as well as veteran favorites such as the Major Matt Mason USA, Linda Draper, Toby Goodshank, the Purple Organ, Peter Dizozza, and Turner Cody.


Time Out New York - http://newyork.timeout.com/events/music/352554/4585151/antifolk-festival
Antifolk Festival
Sidewalk Café
94 Ave A (at 6th St)
East Village | Map
212-473-7373
Description
For a quarter century, artists working the margins of New York music have clustered under the antifolk rubric, a broad scene that keeps a safe haven in the back of the East Village’s Sidewalk Café. Randomly dropping by Sidewalk can be a risky endeavor: Not every performer can be the world’s next Beck (to cite one artist who rose through antifolk’s ranks). A smart time to pop in is during the Antifolk Festival, which takes over the club for a week or so every August.

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Boog City Presents Graceland & Hi, How Are You?, July 14, 2010

Graceland is one of my favorite albums and so I was very interested in the evening presented by Boog City last night at Sidewalk. A gaggle of your favorite Antifolk stars gathered to perform that album along with Daniel Johnston's Hi, How Are You. There were many fine interpretations of Paul Simon's songs. I particularly liked the ones like those by Dan Fishback and Jesse Schoen that went a little against the grain of the original. But there were many fine moments by Casey Holford, and The Infringers, as well as Kathy Zimmer, who I thought stood out on Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. The Infringers rewrote The Myth of Fingerprints so that it was about the petroleum leak in the Gulf. I wasn't so sure about that approach--I thought it came across as a bit of a stretch. But hey kudos to them anyway for trying something different.

I have not yet found the intrinsic identification with Daniel Johnston that seems woven among the songwriters and performers of the Sidewalk scene, although I suspect at some point I will get around to listening to his stuff more carefully since so many people whose work I admire are fans of his. In any event, although I don't have the same points of comparison as I did to the Simon album, there were lots of nice performances by The Trouble Dolls, Bob Kerr, Steve Espinola, Preston Spurlock and The Devil and Christy Davis. Steve played his electric tennis racket on one of the songs and used a reel to reel tape recorder to form a backing track on another. Christy Davis and her pals gave a particularly spirited performance including some theatrically recited lyrics.

I was testing out my new camera the other night--one that theoretically lets me photograph in much lower light than I have been able to previously. Here's a shot of Dan Fishback, who played Gumboots and You Can Call Me Al.

Antihoot at Webster Hall - June 29, 2010

Lach and Co. have introduced some changes/refinements to the setup of the open mic at Webster Hall which very much enhance the feel of the proceedings. As nice as it is, the Marlin Room is an expansive space and initially, with the artists performing from the large stage, a sense of intimacy was missing. Now, the performances are held on the floor directly in front of the stage, and Lach has came out from the sound booth in the back to moderate from a spot up front to the left of the performers. The furniture has also been rearranged to allow for a more intimate feel. Although many of the performers are the same as those who play at Sidewalk, the Webster Hall open mic is developing some of its own in-jokes and stylistic quirks. Rob (?) the bartender was drafted by Lach for some comic interplay here and there and Julie the waitress was also a visible figure on the scene.

I've been thinking that Webster Hall is a good location for Myron the Magnificent to ply his trade. The retro vibe of the place provides a good feel for Myron's act, and I decided to give it a try the other night. Well, we all have our good and bad nights, I guess, but Myron was a little rough around the edges Tuesday. Myron's effort to sever Julie the waitress with two ropes didn't exactly go as planned and some of his other tricks were a little bumpy too. Afterward Myron entertained some folks in the side room with close-up magic and that was fun.

Lach and I were talking the other night and we briefly touched on nervousness while performing. When I first started at Sidewalk, like many folks, I guess, I would practice relentlessly in order to override the nervousness that was prevalent when I played. Now, I try to look at open mics as like a laboratory, a place to develop and work on what I'm doing. I still like things to be polished, and can't help but feel disappointed when they don't go exactly as planned, but it's much easier to look at playing these events as part of a process of getting better and developing your art rather than a be all and end all. I can't say that I don't get nervous at all, but I've definitely gotten better at being involved with the moments as they are happening on stage, rather than worrying so much about how I'm being perceived.

I kind of noticed Dan Mo for the first time the other night, even though I know he's been around for a while. Cool stuff. What he played the other night had a jazzy feel in the chords. Chloe Phillips did some funny stuff--In particular I liked her schtick about how weird people act when they run into someone in whom they have a romantic interest. She also talked about getting dumped by her "wee" boyfriend. Ray Brown's song "Last Summer" was gorgeous.

Juice Box at Scapegrace, Friday, June 25, 2010

I was wandering around Wyckoff Avenue for a while Friday night trying to find the entrance to Scapegrace, the site for Olive Juice's first "Juice Box." event. I finally saw Jen and Uchenna of The Fools and followed behind them.

Major Matt discontinued the OJ All Day Fest, this year, which I thought was kind of too bad. I'd just assumed those would go on forever and that when we were all old and grey we'd be pulling together to schlep amps, set up the merch tables, write the press releases, whatever needed to be done. Of course it's easy for me to say that when I'm not the one bearing all the burden of organizing the whole thing, so I understand Matt's decision. But the event Friday was a nice alternative.

First, the Scapegrace space is amazing. I didn't have any idea at all what to expect when I entered this long hall that was in a state of half-decay. But when I paid my three bucks and turned the corner I was in this incredible large room that was flanked on both sides by gorgeous walls of pressed tin, painted a kind of milky green. The walls seemed as if they emerged straight from a hundred years ago and they showed the wear of all that time. While my fantasies of time travel will undoubtedly never be fulfilled, I always love finding situations where real elements from the past are part of the scene. Julie Delano explained later that they'd discovered the tin after removing layers of unattractive panelling. Artwork by Preston Spurlock, Toby Goodshank, and Angela Carlucci was on view throughout the room and added a lot to the feel of the room. Preston's and Toby's work was on one wall framed in old windows from the house. Angela created a set of amazing intricate cutouts that were posted on the other side of the room.

The space has a large backyard where lots of folks congregated between music sets. Beverages and merchandise were available back there along with lots of good conversation. The humidity had trailed off by that point and the weather was perfect for hanging around out doors

Inside three groups played. First up was Brian, a group of three gals playing what I thought reflected a kind of surf-music feel. The Wowz played a great set, and Schwervon was solid as usual and got the crowd moving. Although I enjoyed listening to the bands, somehow the music seemed to be more of a general part of the ambience than the main focus of the night. DJs continued after the bands played and a small group of enthusiastic dancers were still going at it when I left. Yoko Kikuchi took some photos documenting the night, which you can see be clicking here: Yoko's pictures.

Part of what made the night so enjoyable was the laid back vibe of the whole scene. There was a lot of hanging out and catching up. Although I saw a lot of the regular OJ crew, there also were a good mix of new faces too--at least new to me.

Wycoff Avenue seems to have morphed even since the last time I was there, which doesn't feel like it was too long ago. There are a handful of upscale restaurants, bars, and shops that have popped up. It's inevitable, I guess, but it would be nice to think that the neighborhood could stay accessible to folks who have been there for a while. About two years ago the Forgotten New York site documented the entire length of Wycoff Avneue and you can read about it by clicking here.

Scapegrace is conveniently located a few steps from the Jefferson Street stop on the L, but why is it that late on the weekends the L always seems to be replaced by a shuttle bus? Luckily the other night one came right away and I was able to get moving.

Lach and Matt and Matt's Antifolk Memories

I'd noticed the public airing on the OJ Board of longstanding dIfferences between Major Matt and Lach and since this blog is dedicated to documenting the scene in which those disagreements took place, I was mulling over exactly how to refer to the situation here. It all feels a little gossipy, and while intrigued, I wasn't sure if it added to the understanding of the community or was just kind of salacious. In the meantime, while my mulling was taking place, enough time had passed that I wasn't sure I'd get around to mentioning it at all. If you have not already seen the exchange on the OJ Board, it is easy enough to go back and look at it, so I am not going to go into any details on the specifics.

To tell you the truth, based on my experiences elsewhere, I've always been amazed and impressed that there aren't MORE falling outs among people in our scene. The overriding attitude even today is one of support and collaboration. Not that everyone loves everyone else or that there aren't uncomfortable situations here and there (undoubtedly there are more than I know about) but somehow the attitude at Sidewalk has always been welcoming.

However, what finally gave me the rationale to write about this is that the exchange with Lach inspired Matt to start documenting his memories of the Antifolk scene on his own blog. That history is particularly welcome as the period in which Matt was intensively hanging out at Sidewalk has not been extensively documented. Those were the early days of the Antihoot at Sidewalk and a time when some of the key figures from the scene first started coming around and got to know one another. Plus, Matt writes about how Olive Juice got started, which is another bit of history worth preserving.

I'll have to figure out a way to permanently link to Matt's memories here at Sidewalk's Sidewalk, but in the meantime, you can read the three entries he's written so far at: http://matthew-roth.livejournal.com/

Level II Extravaganzarama - Friday, June 11, 2010

The Sidewalk Stage was jam packed with puppeteers, musicians, a magician, a comedian, and more for the Level II Extravaganza Friday. Although the ambitions for the performance overwhelmed the capabilities of the stage, it was an interesting step toward a variety show concept that may develop further in the future. Level II seems to be the overarching name for Ben Folstein's puppet performances and music. I was particularly impressed by his group's musicianship. They had a solid funk feel, which featured trombone, nice bass work, two strong gals on vocals and the impressive guitar work of Ben himself. The songs are from Level II's puppet musical Love is Like Mud. Magician Myron the Magnificent was the evening's M.C., performing tricks here and there between acts and also presenting two excerpts from his stage act featuring his lovely assistant Vera. Ben Croneberg performed some of his Steven Wright-influenced comedy, and although I thought he was doing ok, he was literally given the hook by the evening's impresario Ben F. A later skit depicted a guy in tights filling in for a missing stripper instructor. While the piece might have some comic possibilities, it seemed to go on for a few thrusts too long...Anyway, I may not be the most objective observer considering my affiliation with MTM, but I thought the evening was lots of fun and I hope there are more in the future.

Domino's CD Release Show

Domino's CD release show last night was a mixture of amazing and unusual moments. Domino was set to perform at 9 but when I got there, right on time for the start of her show, I was told that she had yet to arrive. Even though Domino had been heavily promoting the show the night before at the open mic, somehow she had gotten set back and didn't arrive until about 9:45.

In the meantime a very vocal representative from the group of Domino's friends who were present lobbied to let another friend from the audience have a moment to sing on stage. Nick and Ben acceded to the entreaties and Domino's friend Leticia rose and began singing songs in German, Indian, and other languages.

After Leticia concluded, Joe Crow Ryan ably filled in with a set. Joe seems to be getting more polished all the time and I thought it was one of his better shows. It contained numerous covers, and I thought that rhythmically he found a nice pulse to many of the pieces that pushed them along into a tasteful jazz feel.

Domino started her set by explaining that she was starting not with an original tune but with a little dance she does to someone else's song. Watching Domino dance to REM's Orange Crush, while using a bottle of that drink as a prop, is a reminder of the unbridled moments in childhood when we would lose ourselves and dance in front of a mirror or our siblings in some kind of flight of imagination. Her dance evoked a joyful giddiness among some of us watching.

There is no point not acknowledging that part of what captivates people about Domino is how she marches to the beat of her own....guitar playing. But what she brings to the stage has brilliance to it and outstanding creativity. Several of her songs were performed last night to homemade backing tracks which she plays from an onstage boom box. She finished up with this song Cheesecake, requested by Nick, that you have to hear to grasp fully but it is typical of Domino's unique subject matter and style of wordplay. "He wanted another piece of my Cheesecake....I sent him away with Cheesecake." I was so glad I was there for her set. I wonder where everyone else was, though. It was a small house. Anyway, I love Domino.

Lach's Antihoot at Webster Hall & Diane Cluck at Sidewalk, Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I've been receiving frequent messages from a Mr. Steve Rogers, urging me to attend events at Webster Hall, including the Tuesday, Antihoot run by Lach. Mr. Rogers is a pretty persuasive guy, so I turned out on Tuesday to see what the hubbub was about. Actually, this was my second visit, truth be told, after checking out the Antihoot's new location on its very first night in back in March.

When I arrived, Talia was playing--the same young Talia I'd noticed at the Open Mic at Sidewalk the night before. Talia's songs often are about the emotional currents stirred up by the guys in her life (or at least the ones she has crushes on) or by conflicts with her classmates in school. I've got to give Talia credit for having the drive to write songs and find places to perform them. Plunging headlong into this stuff at an early age means that she will have more opportunity to learn and develop her writing and generally to find a path into music if she decides that's what she wants. And what better way to do it than hanging out at late-night songwriting joints!

Next up was a group called Now (if I'm not mistaken) a duo with a quite lithesome young lady and a guy singing a heavily pop-flavored tune to a rhythm track.

Mike Rechner played two songs from his Churchill Downs project. Mike's songs always seem heavily influenced by Lou Reed to me--spare and somehow bringing out feelings of alienation. Cool stuff.

Morgan Heringer played a couple nice tunes...she referred to standard ukulele position--one leg on a chair, elbow on the raised thigh, holding the angled up ukulele.

The Gentleman Scumbag was up next with funny stuff about his job as a dirty balloon maker at Lucky Cheng's. I particularly liked the story about the father who insisted that John make a particularly profane balloon sculpture for the man's 15 year-old daughter.

Emily Moment was on hand with accompaniment from a friend on guitar. The songs seemed to have kind of a country-flavored pop feel . Emily's vocals stand out more each time I hear her play.

Joie Blaney was a fixture for years at Sidewalk's Open Mic before moving to L. A. a couple years ago. It was nice to see him back in town for a visit. Joie played some new songs, including one about the bygone days of Sweet Bohemia.

Dave Woodcock, a very versatile performer who I gather is visiting from England, displayed some virtuosic technique with a song on piano about how "life ain't worth a damn" and then turned to guitar for a much gentler song called Gretna Green. Very nice.

The Scufz is a retro-flavored act with a guy on washboard/percussion, a fellow on guitar and vocals and another on washtub bass. The guitarist seemed to be pulling most of the weight musically and had some nice jazzy chords to fill out their sound. In the middle of the set a scantily clad gal appeared with a megaphone to pick up the vocals and added further retro-style with "voidio-do, voidio-do" lyrics. She then surprised us by whisking off her short dress to reveal an even scantier costume underneath.

Lenny Molotov played and JJ Hayes did a song about Killing the Buddha.

One of the things I've noticed about the Merlin Room at Webster Hall is that it provides a much more sophisticated range of atmospheric devices for Lach to play with. The whirling stage lights are one thing but I jumped every time I heard the smoke machine hiss on.

The Merlin Room is a gorgeous space and is a great place for anyone who has wanted to play on a larger stage in amuch more polished setting than Sidewalk. Although it probably had as many people in attendance the other night as Sidewalk's open mic usually does, the large room made it seem more sparsely attended. But with Steve Rogers on the case I'm sure that will soon be a thing of the past.

After I headed out from Webster Hall, intending to catch the train home--I ran into Crazy and the Brains and friends who were heading over to Sidewalk to hear Diane Cluck. Diane's songs are gentle and elegant. They require intent listening but it pays off. In particular, a requested song, Macy's Day Bird struck me as ravishing. One of the reasons to hang out in this scene is for the times when you unexpectedly encounter moments of powerful artistry. Thanks to Crazy and Co. for tipping me off to Diane's show which was a nice way to finish off the night.

Monday Night Open Mic, May 10, 2010

I thought there was some good energy the other night, helped by the addition of a big projection screen behind the stage which featured videos by a few folks on the list. Preston Spurlock showed some of his animations--a number of which I'd seen but all of which are brilliant. Interspersed with those he had some bizarre "found" footage, including a real educational film from the 1980s (?) which explored different ways to refer to a penis. The instructor, a straight-laced looking woman in front of a blackboard kept asking her students for more references and and wrote them all down--cock, dick, meat, etc....totally bizarre. Pete Scalzitti also showed the cool animation for his song Amy, which he accompanied live on piano.

It was actually Brian Speaker who opened the show with a song from his Mars Chronicles opera. Good to see Brian is recovered from whatever bug knocked him out of commission for a bit.

Morgan Heringer played a couple lovely songs--she'll be on the bill at Sidewalk Friday with Cal Folger Day. Birds of Prey performed (Birds of Prey is a gal from Australia who I've seen over the last few weeks). Talia sang Sticky Situation--which she explained is about a girl in her class who i mean to her.

The floating logo from the DVD machine that randomly swam around on the projection screen as various acts played was a strange and inadequate vestige of 1960s light shows. I don't know if anyone else thought about this--but in its day the Fillmore East was just a few blocks away from Sidewalk. How things have changed.

Brook Pridemore, and the Facsimiles played--leading up to Nothing but Strings, which I can only describe as a hip hop violin duo. They were two violinists who played to a hip-hop rhythm track. It was a bit overblown, frankly, but cool nonetheless. I look forward to seeing these guys some more.

Zoe--was it Zoe--I think it was--she sang a song she said was inspried by The Prince by Machiavelli. Most of her performance was from a position on her knees or supine.

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Tonight - Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tonight there are performances all over the place that will test your loyalties and abilities to navigate public transit. As I started to list them all--and the locales--Sidewalk, Cake Shop, Goodbye Blue Monday, Webster Hall, Lilly Coogan's, it made me realize that that the scene that I think of as emanating from Sidewalk really has become rather far flung. For a moment I thought that maybe it wasn't possible to look at this as part of one scene anymore. But, to my sensibility, I do still think there are links and continuity between all these artists and that it's worth recognizing the connections and the ongoing lineage. So, even as things morph and evolve around us, I am going to continue to write about the "Sidewalk Scene" and assume that anyone with a specific enough interest to read this blog will know what that encompasses. And, of course, there still IS the scene at Sidewalk going strong.

Ok, --I'll probably get around to writing more about that stuff some other time, but for now, here is some of what's happening tonight:

at Goodbye Blue Monday Nan Turner celebrates the release of her CD "Construction of a Champ." The evening features performances by a slate of intriguing and talented folks including Susan Hwang, "Jofranna", Dave End, and Nan herself with a large group of friends backing her up as The One Night Stands.

Cake Shop has Only Son and Ching Chong Song on the bill.

Lach's slate at Webster Hall includes an appearance by our friend Joie Blaney, making a rare visit from L. A. Also on that bill is Mike Rechner with his new project Churchill Downs plus Lenny Molotov and Lach himself.

Sidewalk has added an intriguing set by Anders and Co., which I gather will feature folks who were among the regular gang at Sidewalk.

Relative newcomer Charles Mansfield debuts his EP at Lilly Coogan's

I will be at one or more of these shows. And maybe I'll see you there.

Monday Night Open Mic, April 12, 2010

Isaac Gillespie filled in as host for Ben K. last night. After showing some nerves during a bit of a wobbly monologue, Isaac did great, nicely handling the introductions and transitions with the proper amount of humor, banter, and forward motion.

The first act after Isaac was Bird to Prey--a gal who sang some captivating, gentle songs. From a quick Google search it looks as if Bird to Prey is Sarah Turk, originally hailing from Freemantle, Australia. One of her songs was a nice one called Peppertree Road. Check her out on MySpace.

Larkin Grimm is another performer I'd describe as captivating. Isaac noticed she was playing a 12-string electric guitar. Larkin has an unusual style that impresses me every time I see her play.

Next up --Giant Chink --Yes, Master Lee and Touching You are back with another band name. This one was focused as a Heavy Metal group. Master Lee was wearing a dramatic looking red fur and belting out a lot of "songs." He ended his set by saying "we don't rehearse."

Woodford Green - a guy/gal duo from England was next. Some nice tunes with her on accordion and he playing trumpet, guitar and ukulele.

Talia was back. Talia said "I'm Talia, I'm 12 years old, and I'm a musician." Talia's first song was "Never Been Kissed." Then she sng a song that she said she wrote " When I WAS in love." The song was Tornadoes. Gosh--the 12 year olds seem to have a lot of perspective on love these days.....maybe it was always like that and I just don't remember.

Eric -- nice stuff on piano - a good vibe

Yea for The Fools. I love The Fools.

Taylor Wagner had problem tuning her guitar, even with an electric tuner--She talked about how much it sucked being a waitress and then sang a song about it. She kind of belted her songs--at least at moments-- I'm sure we'll hear more from her.

Ben Pagano plays some nice bluesy piano. He did the sort of bluesy standard Hot Tamales and Red Hot.

I walked in to hear the conclusion of a song performed by Faye. Very cool thing where she was playing a kind of repeated chord riff while doing some very cool sort of wild vocals over it. Then she sang an a cappella song. Faye definitely has some interesting ideas going on. Hope to see her again too.

The Essentials -a duo of two guys on acoustic guitars.

As usual I wish I could have stayed around longer. Anyone else want to comment on the rest of the evening?

See you next time.

The Problem

Too much good stuff going on, not enough time.

Here's a link to a very brief synopsis from the OJ Board by Steve Espinola of the Webster Hall show last Wednesday with Steve and with Mr. Patrick, Emily Hope Price, Diane Cluck, and Soft Black. Read through the links for comments by Jeff Lewis and others: click here

Sounds like it was a great show.

Lach has lots of cool stuff coming up at Webster Hall. I'm particularly intrigued by the chance to hear Hammell on Trial on May 19, an act I've heard a lot about but have never had the chance to see perform.

Lach Presents

OK-time to readjust the calendar - thanks Lach for making more late nights out inevitable.

Bushwick Book Club, April 6, 2010

Susan Hwang has done a great job with the Bushwick Book Club cd. I got it last night and have already listened to a lot of it although with 58 songs, I have a way to go. What stands out is the very high quality of the songwriting. Some of this has to do with Susan's good judgment in the songs she chose to include. But it also is credit to the Book Club itself, which inspires such interesting creations. It's great to have this document of the Book Club's first year and also the snapshot of our broader scene that it represents. Tom Bayne's cover -- a class picture in caricature -- in visual form also captures the many characters who have contributed.

Last night's show marked the cd release and also a regular Book Club night focusing on Dolly Parton's autobiography. Susan kicked things off, Maria and Franz played remotely via Skype, a woman who's name I don't know was dressed as Dolly (sort of, I think) and did a fun yodelling number with audience foot stomping, The Hooters, three chicks (one on banjo, one on guitar and all on vocals), did a fun country-flavored number about how they've slept with everyone but so and so...you kind of had to hear it but it had a spoon playing and whistle blowing break down section. Some of the playing was a little wobbly but to me that was the hit of the night. It was a bit of a novelty number that you could kind of imagine at the Grand Ole Opry.

Angela Carlucci told a story about how Dolly's mother would cheer up her kids by asking them to go outside and find stones and the kid who needed the most cheering up had his or her stone put in the soup...Major Matt played in a blonde Dolly wig, Joe Crow did a number at the piano....

It was a fine and fun night....

The Tuesday Tea Cup followed and Preston played one of my favorite songs of his, Gardenias. The song is about senility, basically, but it had people dancing in the aisles, literally. Mark Palermo also played a Hendrix tune. Good going Mark.

Monday Night Open Mic, April 5, 2010

Hello--I was just around a short while on Monday, but here's what I remember or at least wrote down....

Mr. Patrick told a story while playing a big chinese instrument.

Jon Berger read poems from his iPhone

Brian Vergara did a number a capella with foot stomping - it involved a chorus that went "are you hurt, are you sad....."

Olivia Gerber played two songs. She is definitely worth checking out...

I couldn't catch if it was Red Zepperin or Red Zeppelin, but the band formerly known as Chink Floyd, comprising Master Lee, Touching You, Ariel Bitran and Matt Winkler, played next. Master Lee was hilarious and did this running gag where he kept yelling a sort of Kung Fu yell into the microphone. [I've been corrected-see comment below] He also made jokes about activities he'd like to pursue with 14 year-old girls, only to be followed on stage by:

Talia (?) a 14 year-old girl who was as 14 years old as a 14 year old could be. Except she might have been 13. She sang a couple songs about love...keep doing it Talia. Life is better with songs.

Larkin Grimm played--performing with a small harp. She was joined by Cindy who accompanied with lovely ideas on bass and also sang with Larkin.. They were excellent. Unusual and beautiful stuff. The first song was "Mina Minou...your body is gone, almost gone." Check out another version of it here: Mina Minou

Let's take a second to mention all the bad harp jokes that ensued...

I didn't catch the name of the second song but it was a lovely, gentle tune.

Brook Pridemore broke out a cover of Dancing Queen. Ben K. put on the disco lights and then rushed up on stage to add the piano part. The two Dancing Queens, Jon Berger and Joe Crow Ryan shook their respective bodies in the middle of the room. It was all kind of silly but also was one of those amazing Sidewalk moments where you are swept up into an impossible and joyful few minutes of pure fun.

Yikes, I missed it

If you read this blog, chance are you've already seen the following note over at the OJ Board about the night of Major Matt songs at Sidewalk Tuesday. For missing it I should be forced to pay $2 for extra pita. In any event, maybe you haven't seen this, so here's at least a little info about the night from Jeff Lewis...I Heart Major Matt