Lach has sort of sent Antifolk.net into hiatus or something like that which is too bad since there is plenty of info there that is relevant even if Lach isn't active on the Antifolk front these days. So, since some of the links are still active I've posted a couple of them to the right, namely the Artists page and the News page. It's revealing to look at the list of artists who have been connected to the Antifolk scene over the years and look at what they were thinking about at the time they wrote up their little blurbs. The news section starts in June 2003 and continues to January 2009 and provides an interesting chronology of the scene during that span. It helped me try to narrow down the exact date I first played Sidewalk (which must have been the 22nd or 29th of August, 2004, for those of you interested). When I have some more time I'll try to link to the page he had with photos and some other articles and things.
I've also put a few other new links up, including photos of OJ All Day by me and by Yoko, and another Voice article with some relevant history.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, Debe Dalton Recording at Brooklyn Tea Party
This was a fun night and Debe sounded great. I can't wait to hear the album that was recorded. I hope that it doesn't reflect the sound of the brief coughing spell I had. There was a good crowd, but it wasn't overcrowded. A couple people who played did Michael Jackson songs in tribute. Brer Brian played one on trumpet and another on guitar and Dan Costello and Elizabeth Devlin did a charming duet.....Also, afterward on the roof, Brer Brian played a bunch of songs that were written to impersonate people on the scene--they are referring to people who go back a ways, but they were hilarious and totally accurate.
Monday Night Open Mic, June 22, 2009
It's a week later and I'm just getting around to putting something up about last Monday. One thing that stands out is that I finally saw the puppet stage in action. A mandolin made into a puppet appeared between sets offering goofy commentary on a variety of things. Does the puppeteer want to remain anonymous? I'll have to determine that before revealing who it was, even though everyone who was there already knows.... It will be interesting to see where things go with Sidewalk's new venture into this territory. It was a little odd, actually, to me, to see the puppets sharing the stage with the musicians, but, like many other things, I'll probably get used to it and after a while wonder how we ever lived without it.
In the meantime, back to the music. The Young Dads played a song that the said was in the style of Nickelback, something about the prettiest princess you will ever see...and then they played one about circumcision. Probably one of the few songs, maybe the only one, written on that topic, actually.
Don McCloskey was on hand. I can't remember seeing him at the Open Mic in quite a long time. Don is almost always on the bill of the Antifolk Fest, but I must have not been around at the time he was a regular. Anyway, it was good to see him. He played a song called, I think, Cold World.
Mike Baglivi and Ariel performed....songs from their band The Open End.
Chloe did some standup/storytelling, whatever you might call her work. Chloe's stuff is genuinely funny. At one point she did a bit about how Mike Baglivi offered to let her live in his parents' basement in case she needed a place to stay while working out any you know, residency matters. Chloe threw in some impersonations of Mike, and it was interesting to hear what Mike Baglivi might sound like with a Scottish accent.
Our good friend Lach appeared and played. Nice to see him as well. Hesitant was one of the songs. I hope to get in on the Scrabble game one of these days...
Julie Everyone--something like "Where Did My Burrito Go?"
Rachel Trachtenburg and her hula-hooping posse appeared again playing covers of Something and "Death of a Clown," by the Kinks.
Daniel Bernstein-Don't Treat Me Bad
Jordan Levinson played what she said was one of her older songs which I think was something like "I Have Never Seen Such Loveless Eyes.
Sheesh-this is a pretty sketchy write-up--but sometimes that's the way it flows I suppose....
In the meantime, back to the music. The Young Dads played a song that the said was in the style of Nickelback, something about the prettiest princess you will ever see...and then they played one about circumcision. Probably one of the few songs, maybe the only one, written on that topic, actually.
Don McCloskey was on hand. I can't remember seeing him at the Open Mic in quite a long time. Don is almost always on the bill of the Antifolk Fest, but I must have not been around at the time he was a regular. Anyway, it was good to see him. He played a song called, I think, Cold World.
Mike Baglivi and Ariel performed....songs from their band The Open End.
Chloe did some standup/storytelling, whatever you might call her work. Chloe's stuff is genuinely funny. At one point she did a bit about how Mike Baglivi offered to let her live in his parents' basement in case she needed a place to stay while working out any you know, residency matters. Chloe threw in some impersonations of Mike, and it was interesting to hear what Mike Baglivi might sound like with a Scottish accent.
Our good friend Lach appeared and played. Nice to see him as well. Hesitant was one of the songs. I hope to get in on the Scrabble game one of these days...
Julie Everyone--something like "Where Did My Burrito Go?"
Rachel Trachtenburg and her hula-hooping posse appeared again playing covers of Something and "Death of a Clown," by the Kinks.
Daniel Bernstein-Don't Treat Me Bad
Jordan Levinson played what she said was one of her older songs which I think was something like "I Have Never Seen Such Loveless Eyes.
Sheesh-this is a pretty sketchy write-up--but sometimes that's the way it flows I suppose....
Sunday, June 21, 2009
OJ All Day, Saturday, June 22, 2009
Let's see. OJ All Day, day 2. There was so much going on...haircuts, massages, tattoos, crafts, clothes and, oh yeah, music.
It's all a bit of a blur a this point, I must admit. Because I was so focused on my own show I didn't take any photos on Friday, but Saturday I brought out the camera and thought I would do my best to document all the acts. I did get shots of everyone while they were playing, with the exception of Thomas Patrick Maguire, who played while I was getting a massage...(but I did get a nice shot of TPM out front to make up for that).
I said to a few folks that the OJ Fest is sort of like a biosphere of creativity. Maybe I thought of that because of all those plants that were for sale over in the corner. But anyway, it was great to spend a weekend in a place where art and ideas were overflowing everywhere. By the way, did anyone stop to talk to the Communist lady who had a table? Also, I kind of felt bad for the bookselling people because they seemed lonely off in their corner.
There were some new groups I heard who were really good. I mentioned Bugs in the Dark in my other post. I'd never heard New York Howl play before and they were pretty cool too. Tons of energy and good playing all around. The moment of the day that stood out, though, was when the head honcho of the Brooklyn Lyceum tried to get New York Howl's bass player, T-Bone, to turn down. At first he just spoke to her directly but then she threatened to leave the stage, and so NY Howl's leader guy intervened, and Brooklyn Lyceum guy started explaining through the microphone, to everyone in the audience, that he needed her to turn down and that he was the guy running the place. Somehow NY Howl guy managed to smooth things over or it seemed that way, but I think T-Bone and BL guy just receded into their individual corners. NY Howl guy said something like "If you ever have problems with loudness talk to me about it, not to T-Bone. Cause she'll let her rattlesnakes out on you."
The only problem with OJ is that you can't see it all! Because of the overlapping schedule, there was lots of running up and down stairs and inevitably you felt like you were missing something great on the other stage (but I guess that's not the worst problem to have).
OJ All Day is a great example of how people can make their own entertainment, plus it's one of the more positive and fun events of the year. Thanks again Matt and Nan and everyone else who helped out.
It's all a bit of a blur a this point, I must admit. Because I was so focused on my own show I didn't take any photos on Friday, but Saturday I brought out the camera and thought I would do my best to document all the acts. I did get shots of everyone while they were playing, with the exception of Thomas Patrick Maguire, who played while I was getting a massage...(but I did get a nice shot of TPM out front to make up for that).
I said to a few folks that the OJ Fest is sort of like a biosphere of creativity. Maybe I thought of that because of all those plants that were for sale over in the corner. But anyway, it was great to spend a weekend in a place where art and ideas were overflowing everywhere. By the way, did anyone stop to talk to the Communist lady who had a table? Also, I kind of felt bad for the bookselling people because they seemed lonely off in their corner.
There were some new groups I heard who were really good. I mentioned Bugs in the Dark in my other post. I'd never heard New York Howl play before and they were pretty cool too. Tons of energy and good playing all around. The moment of the day that stood out, though, was when the head honcho of the Brooklyn Lyceum tried to get New York Howl's bass player, T-Bone, to turn down. At first he just spoke to her directly but then she threatened to leave the stage, and so NY Howl's leader guy intervened, and Brooklyn Lyceum guy started explaining through the microphone, to everyone in the audience, that he needed her to turn down and that he was the guy running the place. Somehow NY Howl guy managed to smooth things over or it seemed that way, but I think T-Bone and BL guy just receded into their individual corners. NY Howl guy said something like "If you ever have problems with loudness talk to me about it, not to T-Bone. Cause she'll let her rattlesnakes out on you."
The only problem with OJ is that you can't see it all! Because of the overlapping schedule, there was lots of running up and down stairs and inevitably you felt like you were missing something great on the other stage (but I guess that's not the worst problem to have).
OJ All Day is a great example of how people can make their own entertainment, plus it's one of the more positive and fun events of the year. Thanks again Matt and Nan and everyone else who helped out.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Regina Spektor - NY Times
From a profile of Regina Spektor in Sunday's Times:
"After graduating from college in 2001, she fell in with the punk-inspired anti-folk scene in the East Village, which also helped lift the careers of Beck, Nellie McKay and the Moldy Peaches. (Ms. Spektor said she recently returned to the Sidewalk Cafe, the anti-folk headquarters, for the first time in years, to see a friend perform.)"
"After graduating from college in 2001, she fell in with the punk-inspired anti-folk scene in the East Village, which also helped lift the careers of Beck, Nellie McKay and the Moldy Peaches. (Ms. Spektor said she recently returned to the Sidewalk Cafe, the anti-folk headquarters, for the first time in years, to see a friend perform.)"
OJ All Day, Friday, June 19
Last night was the kick-off of the OJ All Day Festival at Brooklyn Lyceum. It was a ton o' fun, but in some ways maybe just a warm up to what's coming today.
The Key Lime Pie Revue was on the bill and this was a great opportunity for us to play our first show away from Avenue A. I arrived on the early side of things with Doug Johnson so that we could unload my keyboard and his drumset. Matt and Nan, Christy Davis, Julie Delano, Preston Spurlock, and others were busy getting set up for everything. It seemed as if quickly it got to be 7 pm and the show kicked off with Kansas State Flower on the Main Stage downstairs.
Friday was our "Formal" night and I was glad to have the opportunity to wear this blue tuxedo jacket I'd picked up at a thrift store at some point. I did spend quite a bit of time struggling in front of the bathroom mirror trying to tie the bow tie that Doug loaned me until I finally had to get him do it. There were a few other folks who got into the whole formal thing. Luke Kelly was decked out in a tuxedo with a pink vest, Christy Davis had on a long cream/tan gown, Preston had a blue/aqua jacket with an iridescent lime tie. But I was surprised folks didn't get into it more heavily. I thought we'd see a lot more in the way of vintage gowns, sequins, etc. Oh yeah, there WAS a guy there with a grey top hat.
I didn't know what to expect from the Brooklyn Lyceum, and I didn't have as much time to explore it as I'd hoped, but it's a fascinating place. Historically the building was a community bathhouse but since 2001 it's been open as a kind of arts and community center. One thing I liked about it is that even though it's been adapted for a new kind of use, it hasn't been extensively renovated, and so you can see many of the layers and remnants of its history. I'm sure that a lot more work has gone into the place than is evident, but I guess what I'm saying is that instead of it seeming like some hip, slickly renovated "performance space," it has the run-down and slightly decrepit feel of a place that has functioned in a continuum of time. The main stage is situated downstairs in this enormous room with something like forty-foot ceilings. The second stage is upstairs in another huge room that's been sectioned off and set up with tables to feel more intimate.
Everything went so fast last night, including my own show, that it's kind of a blur. I was impressed by what I saw of Kansas State Flower and have to check them out some more. Brook Pridemore and Dan Costello did nice sets upstairs before it was time for us to get set up.
It's always slightly discombobulating to play in a new setting. I don't usually play shows on my digital keyboard and so there were things that threw me off a little, like how to get situated properly in front of the keyboard, etc. I also didn't have the right kind of chair so in the middle of the show had to ask for some sort of booster seat (Susan Hwang graciously went and found some thick books for me to sit on). Also, it was hard for me to hear the piano on stage. But, generally things went well. There were the normal little hiccups and things but we always managed to get back on track. It's interesting, when I first started doing this stuff I just wanted to get to a point where the songs were rehearsed enough that we could play them solidly. Now I think we need to reach another level where instead of just feeling secure and well-practiced on stage that we are totally in the moment of musical creation while performing. There are times when that comes out--when you create something new and unexpected right then and there on stage, and those are the most exciting moments of all. I really have to thank Doug, Trudy Williams, and Ariel Bitran, my very talented band mates. Each of them was totally engaged in the process and their contributions were crucial. Also thanks to Preston and Susan H. who each performed a song with me. Songs we played were: NYC Funk, Fishes, Chop Wood, Professor Longhair/Do it in the Road cover, I've Looked for Love, an instrumental tune, New Beatles, Makin' Whoopee, Tower Records, Do the Berger.
Other stuff: I was really impressed by this band Bugs in the Dark that I'd never heard before. It was a trio, with, I believe, two guitars and drums. It was raucous rock and roll stuff, but really well done with lots of energy. Doug/Purple Organ impresses me every time I see him. I didn't catch his whole set this time, but what I did was beautiful. Shilpa Ray has gotten much rockier. Her set was a high-energy rock show. It was totally engaging, but different than I remember. Somehow I missed Julie from Ching Chong Song smearing red lipstick all over her face--I don't know how exactly unless I was distracted by the Merch table at the moment or something. It seems like it must have been one of those great Ching Chong Song moments. I did see her walking around though, later with a big red circle on her face.
I have to give Matt Roth a lot of credit for pulling this festival together. It's a ton of work--and I'm sure he's not exactly making the big bucks off this. One of the things that I love about OJ All Day is that it encompasses a community of people who are all connected through music. It's been nice to get to know some of these folks a little more this time from being involved. There's something great about combining music with connections among friends. It's also great to get to hear new groups too, so I was glad to learn about Bugs in the Dark and am looking forward today to this group Peggy Sue, among others.
Wow, it's going to be a long day. I don't know why I am up doing this so early. Maybe I can take a nap before heading back out to Brooklyn. More later.
The Key Lime Pie Revue was on the bill and this was a great opportunity for us to play our first show away from Avenue A. I arrived on the early side of things with Doug Johnson so that we could unload my keyboard and his drumset. Matt and Nan, Christy Davis, Julie Delano, Preston Spurlock, and others were busy getting set up for everything. It seemed as if quickly it got to be 7 pm and the show kicked off with Kansas State Flower on the Main Stage downstairs.
Friday was our "Formal" night and I was glad to have the opportunity to wear this blue tuxedo jacket I'd picked up at a thrift store at some point. I did spend quite a bit of time struggling in front of the bathroom mirror trying to tie the bow tie that Doug loaned me until I finally had to get him do it. There were a few other folks who got into the whole formal thing. Luke Kelly was decked out in a tuxedo with a pink vest, Christy Davis had on a long cream/tan gown, Preston had a blue/aqua jacket with an iridescent lime tie. But I was surprised folks didn't get into it more heavily. I thought we'd see a lot more in the way of vintage gowns, sequins, etc. Oh yeah, there WAS a guy there with a grey top hat.
I didn't know what to expect from the Brooklyn Lyceum, and I didn't have as much time to explore it as I'd hoped, but it's a fascinating place. Historically the building was a community bathhouse but since 2001 it's been open as a kind of arts and community center. One thing I liked about it is that even though it's been adapted for a new kind of use, it hasn't been extensively renovated, and so you can see many of the layers and remnants of its history. I'm sure that a lot more work has gone into the place than is evident, but I guess what I'm saying is that instead of it seeming like some hip, slickly renovated "performance space," it has the run-down and slightly decrepit feel of a place that has functioned in a continuum of time. The main stage is situated downstairs in this enormous room with something like forty-foot ceilings. The second stage is upstairs in another huge room that's been sectioned off and set up with tables to feel more intimate.
Everything went so fast last night, including my own show, that it's kind of a blur. I was impressed by what I saw of Kansas State Flower and have to check them out some more. Brook Pridemore and Dan Costello did nice sets upstairs before it was time for us to get set up.
It's always slightly discombobulating to play in a new setting. I don't usually play shows on my digital keyboard and so there were things that threw me off a little, like how to get situated properly in front of the keyboard, etc. I also didn't have the right kind of chair so in the middle of the show had to ask for some sort of booster seat (Susan Hwang graciously went and found some thick books for me to sit on). Also, it was hard for me to hear the piano on stage. But, generally things went well. There were the normal little hiccups and things but we always managed to get back on track. It's interesting, when I first started doing this stuff I just wanted to get to a point where the songs were rehearsed enough that we could play them solidly. Now I think we need to reach another level where instead of just feeling secure and well-practiced on stage that we are totally in the moment of musical creation while performing. There are times when that comes out--when you create something new and unexpected right then and there on stage, and those are the most exciting moments of all. I really have to thank Doug, Trudy Williams, and Ariel Bitran, my very talented band mates. Each of them was totally engaged in the process and their contributions were crucial. Also thanks to Preston and Susan H. who each performed a song with me. Songs we played were: NYC Funk, Fishes, Chop Wood, Professor Longhair/Do it in the Road cover, I've Looked for Love, an instrumental tune, New Beatles, Makin' Whoopee, Tower Records, Do the Berger.
Other stuff: I was really impressed by this band Bugs in the Dark that I'd never heard before. It was a trio, with, I believe, two guitars and drums. It was raucous rock and roll stuff, but really well done with lots of energy. Doug/Purple Organ impresses me every time I see him. I didn't catch his whole set this time, but what I did was beautiful. Shilpa Ray has gotten much rockier. Her set was a high-energy rock show. It was totally engaging, but different than I remember. Somehow I missed Julie from Ching Chong Song smearing red lipstick all over her face--I don't know how exactly unless I was distracted by the Merch table at the moment or something. It seems like it must have been one of those great Ching Chong Song moments. I did see her walking around though, later with a big red circle on her face.
I have to give Matt Roth a lot of credit for pulling this festival together. It's a ton of work--and I'm sure he's not exactly making the big bucks off this. One of the things that I love about OJ All Day is that it encompasses a community of people who are all connected through music. It's been nice to get to know some of these folks a little more this time from being involved. There's something great about combining music with connections among friends. It's also great to get to hear new groups too, so I was glad to learn about Bugs in the Dark and am looking forward today to this group Peggy Sue, among others.
Wow, it's going to be a long day. I don't know why I am up doing this so early. Maybe I can take a nap before heading back out to Brooklyn. More later.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
More about Monday - Puppets
Wouldn't you just know that the night I decide to bag out on the Open Mic, all kinds of crazy puppet work takes place. Yes, puppets. Here's a note that Ben Krieger posted today on the Olive Juice board.
"So Level II was gracious enough to leave his puppet stage at the Sidewalk. On Monday we set it up in the corner and he was a puppet sidekick. Richard Ringer made a puppet and helped out as well. It was kind of like Antifolk Sesame Street. The puppets were joking about Puerto Rican Day parade, goggling at the elaborate loop station setups...I think the puppets even hit on a few performers. "
"So Level II was gracious enough to leave his puppet stage at the Sidewalk. On Monday we set it up in the corner and he was a puppet sidekick. Richard Ringer made a puppet and helped out as well. It was kind of like Antifolk Sesame Street. The puppets were joking about Puerto Rican Day parade, goggling at the elaborate loop station setups...I think the puppets even hit on a few performers. "
Monday, June 15, 2009
Virgin Records is Gone
Hey-I popped by the Open Mic tonight but only stayed for a minute. Actually, I wish I could have hung around. When I walked up a bunch of friendly folks were hanging around out front. Chloe, Rebecca Seattle, Ariel, Ben K. etc. Chloe Philip said something about the closing of Virgin Records. Yes, another one down. I never was a real fan of Virgin, much more of a Tower man, myself. But once Tower closed, I started shopping at the Times Square Virgin and got kind of used to it. They did have a pretty deep collection there. Lots of people I know were down on corporate record stores, but I always thought that Tower was a cool place and ultimately thought that Virgin was ok too. At least at Tower I felt that somewhere underneath all the corporate trappings the place had a music lover's heart.
I was in New Orleans recently and spent some time at the Louisiana Music Factory which is a great old fashioned music store just like they used to make them. It reminded me of what I loved so much about record stores in the first place. In this case they focus exclusively in music from Louisiana artists, but it's the type of place where you stumble on and discover new things just by strolling around. They have tons of listening stations there too and you can listen to practically everything in the store. Plus, on Saturday afternoons they have really good free performances.
OK, so if you're ever in New Orleans you should stop by. I must admit that here in NY I'm not that up on too many great record stores. Other Music is decent but seems to have something of a limited stock. Any other good recommendations?
The OJ All Day Festival is coming up and I am getting excited. I am playing on Friday with the Key Lime Pie Revue (Ariel Bitran on guitar, Doug Johnson on drums, Trudy Williams on bass). Here's what it says about the Fest in the Critic's Pick column that just came out in Time Out: "Oddball local favorites come out of the woodwork for a quirky two-day festival." Ok, yes, we are oddballs. I can live with that.
,
Well, hope to see you there. Check out ojallday.com. Also don't forget the cool video that Justin Remer made (I know I plugged it once before, but what the heck.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Safmzgtgfss
I was in New Orleans recently and spent some time at the Louisiana Music Factory which is a great old fashioned music store just like they used to make them. It reminded me of what I loved so much about record stores in the first place. In this case they focus exclusively in music from Louisiana artists, but it's the type of place where you stumble on and discover new things just by strolling around. They have tons of listening stations there too and you can listen to practically everything in the store. Plus, on Saturday afternoons they have really good free performances.
OK, so if you're ever in New Orleans you should stop by. I must admit that here in NY I'm not that up on too many great record stores. Other Music is decent but seems to have something of a limited stock. Any other good recommendations?
The OJ All Day Festival is coming up and I am getting excited. I am playing on Friday with the Key Lime Pie Revue (Ariel Bitran on guitar, Doug Johnson on drums, Trudy Williams on bass). Here's what it says about the Fest in the Critic's Pick column that just came out in Time Out: "Oddball local favorites come out of the woodwork for a quirky two-day festival." Ok, yes, we are oddballs. I can live with that.
,
Well, hope to see you there. Check out ojallday.com. Also don't forget the cool video that Justin Remer made (I know I plugged it once before, but what the heck.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Safmzgtgfss
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Monday Night Open Mic, June 8, and Tuesday, June 9
Open Mic, Monday, June 8
Evidently I missed Julie Hill doing an operatic rendition of the words off a condom wrapper. From what I understand she asked for a random object from the audience. Seems as if that could have been the highlight Monday. Damn. It's easy to miss cool stuff if you wander out of that back room.
What did I see that stood out? Rachel Trachtenburg and a friend covered two Beatles tunes (Something and All Together Now) while hula hooping the entire time. Steve Stivola sang an a cappella tune: "I Got a Black Woman in Me," The Scamps played with guitar and bongo-a nice rock feel-the bongo player took an unexpected solo when the guitarist's strap fell off, Kristin from Bellingham, Washington played a couple sweet songs and got a gig. Dan Costello in a moment of beardlessness played a new song, Hard Times. I also played, for once, in order to promote my show the next night. I sang..hmm. what did I sing...I know I did "Do the Berger." Jon normally interprets it with wild, all out Jon Berger dance moves, but this time showed his age and exhaustion in a more subtle, less energetic dance performance. I think I also played my song about Chopping Wood.
Tuesday, June 9, Sidewalk Cafe
The next night, Bob Carlton, Susan Hwang, myself, and Will Lopez played. My appearance had to do with Elastic No No Band's month long residency. As a member of the band, I was asked to do a show. And given the opportunity to invite someone else to play the earlier slot, I asked Susan. She and I have one duet song, Makin' Whoopee worked up that I really like playing and which we did the other night. Preston Spurlock also joined me for a song "New Beatles." Otherwise I mostly played with Trudy Williams who is the bassist for my group, the Key Lime Pie Revue. She and I tried out a new instrumental tune. It needs some polishing, to say the least, but I'm looking forward to developing it and playing it at the OJ All Day Fest on the 19th. Susan did a nice set of her great songs, and it was interesting to hear Will Lopez, who is new to me and seems to have a bit of a jam band-y kind of feel. He played with Alex P. on at least one song, who was doing some wailing guitar work.
Evidently I missed Julie Hill doing an operatic rendition of the words off a condom wrapper. From what I understand she asked for a random object from the audience. Seems as if that could have been the highlight Monday. Damn. It's easy to miss cool stuff if you wander out of that back room.
What did I see that stood out? Rachel Trachtenburg and a friend covered two Beatles tunes (Something and All Together Now) while hula hooping the entire time. Steve Stivola sang an a cappella tune: "I Got a Black Woman in Me," The Scamps played with guitar and bongo-a nice rock feel-the bongo player took an unexpected solo when the guitarist's strap fell off, Kristin from Bellingham, Washington played a couple sweet songs and got a gig. Dan Costello in a moment of beardlessness played a new song, Hard Times. I also played, for once, in order to promote my show the next night. I sang..hmm. what did I sing...I know I did "Do the Berger." Jon normally interprets it with wild, all out Jon Berger dance moves, but this time showed his age and exhaustion in a more subtle, less energetic dance performance. I think I also played my song about Chopping Wood.
Tuesday, June 9, Sidewalk Cafe
The next night, Bob Carlton, Susan Hwang, myself, and Will Lopez played. My appearance had to do with Elastic No No Band's month long residency. As a member of the band, I was asked to do a show. And given the opportunity to invite someone else to play the earlier slot, I asked Susan. She and I have one duet song, Makin' Whoopee worked up that I really like playing and which we did the other night. Preston Spurlock also joined me for a song "New Beatles." Otherwise I mostly played with Trudy Williams who is the bassist for my group, the Key Lime Pie Revue. She and I tried out a new instrumental tune. It needs some polishing, to say the least, but I'm looking forward to developing it and playing it at the OJ All Day Fest on the 19th. Susan did a nice set of her great songs, and it was interesting to hear Will Lopez, who is new to me and seems to have a bit of a jam band-y kind of feel. He played with Alex P. on at least one song, who was doing some wailing guitar work.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday Night Open Mic, June 1 & Tuesday, June 2, featuring Awareness
Monday Open Mic, June 1, 2009
I was out of town for the Memorial day weekend, but somehow it felt as if I'd been gone longer than that. I was glad to be back but the crowd seemed kind of oddly unfamiliar to me at the start of the night. Most of my usual pals weren't around, and once sign-up was over it felt a little empty. Level II kicked things off with a fun number where he lip synched to a video he'd made and that was projected on a screen in the back. The video was cool and used little puppet figures to depict a scene in a restaurant. The song had a kind of tag line, "excellent choice" that the waiter repeated after each menu selection. Level II also played Bona Sera. I'm not sure if that was an original or a cover, but it felt like a cover. As the night went on things kind of picked up, however, I was in a weird mood with lots of day job stuff floating around my head and was just kind of tired, so even though I'd signed up and gotten a relatively low number I took off kind of early.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009, Awareness et al
Octavio and Joe Crow played a set together as Hospital, with Joe Crow on drums, doing mostly Octavio's songs. It was a fuzzed out kind of set that got into some avant-gardey style stuff. Then a set by Elastic No No Band (with me on piano).
Awareness
But I was also glad to be around for the first Awareness full set. Awareness, you might remember, is the guy who wears a white mask when he performs, not to mention when he's just sitting around hanging out. Awareness turned up at the open mic a few weeks ago and Ben offered him a set right away. When he was on stage Tuesday, Awareness said that at the point he accepted the gig he only had those two songs, so he wrote ten more in three weeks.
Awareness delivers his songs with a deadpan almost wooden feel, and although he accompanies himself on guitar the songs are performed in something between a speaking and singing voice--more like a chant, maybe. The songs lyrics are self-consciously direct. For example, in one song he repeats several times "I wanna be dumb, I wanna have fun," and in another that he said is about being proud of yourself, he sang "I made a bookshelf, I made a bookshelf, I did it by myself."
But even though on one hand Awareness's whole shtick is kind of gimmicky, I ended up really liking his songs and his set. There was one song in which he said that "existential despair is a waste of time," and then went on to sing/talk about how you should just be out living your life, rather than worrying about what it all means. This seems to be the motto of the Sidewalk Cafe, or at least how I've interpreted it--'just get out there and sing your fucking songs.' So, it was cool to hear that from someone else. I also liked the idea of the song about the bookshelf, because there have been many times where I've completed some task, like recently assembling a complicated toy for my nephew, where I'm thinking 'hey look, I actually managed to follow these instructions, even though they were written by an idiot, and get this damn thing together." So, I understand Awareness's pride in successfully making a bookshelf. He also had songs saying "it's ok to be gay," and "unconditional love is a wonderful thing to have."
Oh, and he had a song about himself "I am anonymous/I have a mask on/who is Awareness?/I prefer to be a secret identity/I am a celebrity/Who is Awareness?" It really is rather interesting to think about identity as it relates to performing. Maybe another time I can get into questions about the idea of celebrity, which is something I find interesting. Masking your identity is one way to prevent a kind of specific identification/celebrity---although of course the mystique of it and the oddity of it ends up creating its own kind of interest.
By the way, even though Awareness was anonymous to the regular Sidewalk crew who were around that night, he seemed to have attracted a number of friends, who I imagine he reached out to with information about his gig and who must know who he is. A couple friends ended up performing a song with him on stage--and in that moment wore masks of their own.
And, the show had a surprise ending. As his finale Awareness brought out a fairly polished baritone voice to sing a song that he said was from Les Mis.
I was out of town for the Memorial day weekend, but somehow it felt as if I'd been gone longer than that. I was glad to be back but the crowd seemed kind of oddly unfamiliar to me at the start of the night. Most of my usual pals weren't around, and once sign-up was over it felt a little empty. Level II kicked things off with a fun number where he lip synched to a video he'd made and that was projected on a screen in the back. The video was cool and used little puppet figures to depict a scene in a restaurant. The song had a kind of tag line, "excellent choice" that the waiter repeated after each menu selection. Level II also played Bona Sera. I'm not sure if that was an original or a cover, but it felt like a cover. As the night went on things kind of picked up, however, I was in a weird mood with lots of day job stuff floating around my head and was just kind of tired, so even though I'd signed up and gotten a relatively low number I took off kind of early.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009, Awareness et al
Octavio and Joe Crow played a set together as Hospital, with Joe Crow on drums, doing mostly Octavio's songs. It was a fuzzed out kind of set that got into some avant-gardey style stuff. Then a set by Elastic No No Band (with me on piano).
Awareness
But I was also glad to be around for the first Awareness full set. Awareness, you might remember, is the guy who wears a white mask when he performs, not to mention when he's just sitting around hanging out. Awareness turned up at the open mic a few weeks ago and Ben offered him a set right away. When he was on stage Tuesday, Awareness said that at the point he accepted the gig he only had those two songs, so he wrote ten more in three weeks.
Awareness delivers his songs with a deadpan almost wooden feel, and although he accompanies himself on guitar the songs are performed in something between a speaking and singing voice--more like a chant, maybe. The songs lyrics are self-consciously direct. For example, in one song he repeats several times "I wanna be dumb, I wanna have fun," and in another that he said is about being proud of yourself, he sang "I made a bookshelf, I made a bookshelf, I did it by myself."
But even though on one hand Awareness's whole shtick is kind of gimmicky, I ended up really liking his songs and his set. There was one song in which he said that "existential despair is a waste of time," and then went on to sing/talk about how you should just be out living your life, rather than worrying about what it all means. This seems to be the motto of the Sidewalk Cafe, or at least how I've interpreted it--'just get out there and sing your fucking songs.' So, it was cool to hear that from someone else. I also liked the idea of the song about the bookshelf, because there have been many times where I've completed some task, like recently assembling a complicated toy for my nephew, where I'm thinking 'hey look, I actually managed to follow these instructions, even though they were written by an idiot, and get this damn thing together." So, I understand Awareness's pride in successfully making a bookshelf. He also had songs saying "it's ok to be gay," and "unconditional love is a wonderful thing to have."
Oh, and he had a song about himself "I am anonymous/I have a mask on/who is Awareness?/I prefer to be a secret identity/I am a celebrity/Who is Awareness?" It really is rather interesting to think about identity as it relates to performing. Maybe another time I can get into questions about the idea of celebrity, which is something I find interesting. Masking your identity is one way to prevent a kind of specific identification/celebrity---although of course the mystique of it and the oddity of it ends up creating its own kind of interest.
By the way, even though Awareness was anonymous to the regular Sidewalk crew who were around that night, he seemed to have attracted a number of friends, who I imagine he reached out to with information about his gig and who must know who he is. A couple friends ended up performing a song with him on stage--and in that moment wore masks of their own.
And, the show had a surprise ending. As his finale Awareness brought out a fairly polished baritone voice to sing a song that he said was from Les Mis.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Bushwick Book Club Goes to Beatrice at the Merc, May 27, 2009
The Bushwick Book Club, the literary songwriting endeavor that Susan Hwang has been running at Goodbye Blue Monday, has been getting some nice publicity recently and also broken out into a new venue. Ron Hogan, the presenter of a literary series at the Mercantile Library asked if songwriters from the B. B. C. would interpret two new novels for an event timed to the Book Expo conference (the event was held at the Slipper Room on Orchard Street). Four of us: Susan, Phoebe Kreutz, Duck and Swallow, and myself signed up and were asked to write songs about debut novels by Sarah Rainone and Rakesh Satyal. Three of us focused on Sarah Rainone's novel "Love Will Tear us Apart," which is written in the alternating voices of four friends who reunite at a wedding. (Susan wrote a song based on Rakesh Satyal's book "Blue Boy.")
Reading these books can be a good way of getting inspiration for a song. In my own case the books seem to shake loose concepts that have already kind of been floating around in my subconscious. I took Sarah's book as a jumping off point to look at weddings, focusing on a lineage of marriages in my family. I actually did a fair amount of research to try to get details of my grandparents' wedding, or at least what it possibly could have been like, and I also spoke to my mom about her wedding to my dad. I have no way of really knowing how accurate my interpretation of this history is but at least in my own mind the process helped me develop a better understanding of the personality dynamics in two generations of our family.
By the way, interestingly enough both authors read from their books and also performed songs themselves. Sarah appeared as one of the characters from her book--a gay male character named Shawn--and performed the Joy Division song that provided the title of the book. Rakesh evidently has another career as a cabaret singer and performed "Part of Your World," from The LIttle Mermaid (I understand the song makes an appearance in the book).
I was really glad to see the Time Out New York article this week on the Book Club. Susan runs the whole thing in an efficient but very low key way, and it's nice that she and the project are gaining some recognition.
I'll be back in October for "Confederacy of Dunces."
Reading these books can be a good way of getting inspiration for a song. In my own case the books seem to shake loose concepts that have already kind of been floating around in my subconscious. I took Sarah's book as a jumping off point to look at weddings, focusing on a lineage of marriages in my family. I actually did a fair amount of research to try to get details of my grandparents' wedding, or at least what it possibly could have been like, and I also spoke to my mom about her wedding to my dad. I have no way of really knowing how accurate my interpretation of this history is but at least in my own mind the process helped me develop a better understanding of the personality dynamics in two generations of our family.
By the way, interestingly enough both authors read from their books and also performed songs themselves. Sarah appeared as one of the characters from her book--a gay male character named Shawn--and performed the Joy Division song that provided the title of the book. Rakesh evidently has another career as a cabaret singer and performed "Part of Your World," from The LIttle Mermaid (I understand the song makes an appearance in the book).
I was really glad to see the Time Out New York article this week on the Book Club. Susan runs the whole thing in an efficient but very low key way, and it's nice that she and the project are gaining some recognition.
I'll be back in October for "Confederacy of Dunces."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday Night Open Mic, May 18, 2009
Geez, I hate to say this, but I was really not all that drawn in by what I was seeing Monday. Could it be I've just been hanging around too long? I don't know but there seemed to be a lot of folks who were finding their sea legs--not that there's anything wrong with that. I did like Milo's "I Ain't Your Mailman," and Debe Dalton's new song "52 Minutes."
I'll be away for Memorial Day. In the meantime, enjoy some photos from the OJ Half Day BBQ
Monday, May 18, 2009
OJ Half Day Month Before All Day BBQ, Sunday, May 17 2009
This year's OJ All Day Festival is coming up June 19th and 20th, and yesterday Olive Juice threw a kick-off barbecue in the back yard (back shed?) at Goodbye Blue Monday. People started showing up a little after four, and at first it seemed as if we might have needed to call in a specialist to get the barbecue lit. At one point Susan Hwang asked: "How many hipsters does it take to light a barbecue?" I know it takes at least two, one to light the charcoal and another to make a video documentary about it. In fact there was more than one video crew on hand. Justin Remer is making a promotional video about OJ All Day for YouTube, and a local Brooklyn Cable Access program was there shooting a piece on Goodbye Blue Monday. In any event, with a little help from Goodbye Blue Monday's proprietor, Steve, two grills got going, one for veggie dogs and another for the fully meated variety.
By about 7 Matt Roth called things to order and after a brief bit of introduction got some performances going. First up was a group I was unfamiliar with called either Birth Control or Wooden Ghost. I am under the impression that Toby Goodshank normally plays with them, but he was not on hand yesterday. The group centered on a guy/girl duo and was supplemented for a few songs by Brer Brian on trumpet and by a bass player. My memory is going to be fuzzy on a lot of the particular songs played last night but I enjoyed these guys. At one point somehow a plume of smoke was dramatically released in front of the stage. I know I didn't imagine this because I have a photo, but I still don't know where the smoke came from.
Next up were The Wowz, or at least two-thirds of them, in the person of Sam and Simon. They sat side by side and Wowd us with their harmonies and cool-sounding songs.
Rachel Trachtenburg played two songs, one about a black cat and one about a pigeon (if I remember correctly). Rachel played one song at the keyboard and on the other played ukelele and was accompanied by Chris Brodeur on air violin (Chris hummed along while miming the violin playing--it was a kind of charming effect, actually).
Rachel was followed by her dad Jason who played some of his recent hits...I seem to remember "I don't want to tempt.....time." That catchy sensation.
Then Schwervon! rocked the place. It's always amazing to me what these folks can do with just the two of them. It's one of those things where it's hard to pin down exactly what makes it work, but somehow the sum of their voices and playing adds up to more than the parts.
Finally, Ching Chong Song. Every time I see these guys I am more impressed. The stuff they come up with is stunning, really. The songs that Julie and Dan write are so different and original. It's hard to see how they come up with these ideas that seem so off the charts from anything else out there. But then they have continued to develop them in performance, and now with Susan Hwang woven in on vocals and accordion they are more musical and moving than you could imagine. On one song Susan played this traditional Korean drum and somehow it worked beautifully, even though it was a kind of funny (i.e. humorous) song. They also had a bass player for the first time that I've seen, a guy who played stand-up and contributed a percussive element that helped give the songs a frame and form in which to sit.
Throughout the night, between acts, Matt continued to talk about the elements of OJ All Day--the haircuts and massages that will be available, the crafts booths and vendors, etc. etc. on top of all that great music. Something like 40 perfomances are scheduled.
One of the things that has impressed me about OJ All Day is that, although Matt is clearly at the helm of it, the endeavor brings out a community of folks who all pitch in to pull it off. It's interesting how the OJ community stems from and overlaps with the Sidewalk gang but then also has gone off in its own direction. Aside from all the fun music, it was nice to hang out with these folks last night. I'm looking forward to the Festival in June for more music and hanging and community and fun stuff. See you there.
By about 7 Matt Roth called things to order and after a brief bit of introduction got some performances going. First up was a group I was unfamiliar with called either Birth Control or Wooden Ghost. I am under the impression that Toby Goodshank normally plays with them, but he was not on hand yesterday. The group centered on a guy/girl duo and was supplemented for a few songs by Brer Brian on trumpet and by a bass player. My memory is going to be fuzzy on a lot of the particular songs played last night but I enjoyed these guys. At one point somehow a plume of smoke was dramatically released in front of the stage. I know I didn't imagine this because I have a photo, but I still don't know where the smoke came from.
Next up were The Wowz, or at least two-thirds of them, in the person of Sam and Simon. They sat side by side and Wowd us with their harmonies and cool-sounding songs.
Rachel Trachtenburg played two songs, one about a black cat and one about a pigeon (if I remember correctly). Rachel played one song at the keyboard and on the other played ukelele and was accompanied by Chris Brodeur on air violin (Chris hummed along while miming the violin playing--it was a kind of charming effect, actually).
Rachel was followed by her dad Jason who played some of his recent hits...I seem to remember "I don't want to tempt.....time." That catchy sensation.
Then Schwervon! rocked the place. It's always amazing to me what these folks can do with just the two of them. It's one of those things where it's hard to pin down exactly what makes it work, but somehow the sum of their voices and playing adds up to more than the parts.
Finally, Ching Chong Song. Every time I see these guys I am more impressed. The stuff they come up with is stunning, really. The songs that Julie and Dan write are so different and original. It's hard to see how they come up with these ideas that seem so off the charts from anything else out there. But then they have continued to develop them in performance, and now with Susan Hwang woven in on vocals and accordion they are more musical and moving than you could imagine. On one song Susan played this traditional Korean drum and somehow it worked beautifully, even though it was a kind of funny (i.e. humorous) song. They also had a bass player for the first time that I've seen, a guy who played stand-up and contributed a percussive element that helped give the songs a frame and form in which to sit.
Throughout the night, between acts, Matt continued to talk about the elements of OJ All Day--the haircuts and massages that will be available, the crafts booths and vendors, etc. etc. on top of all that great music. Something like 40 perfomances are scheduled.
One of the things that has impressed me about OJ All Day is that, although Matt is clearly at the helm of it, the endeavor brings out a community of folks who all pitch in to pull it off. It's interesting how the OJ community stems from and overlaps with the Sidewalk gang but then also has gone off in its own direction. Aside from all the fun music, it was nice to hang out with these folks last night. I'm looking forward to the Festival in June for more music and hanging and community and fun stuff. See you there.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Ben Godwin, Thusday, May 14, 2009
I stopped in to catch Ben Godwin's set on Thursday. Ben was in town from London with his wife Dawn and cute baby Calliope. Ben was part of the regular crew there for a long while and eventually we ended up having some fun times when he played bass with me in the Key Lime Pie Revue. Ben is a really good musician and he picked up the tunes we played quickly and really helped me realize my rock and roll dreams in what amounted to my first band. So thanks for that Ben. He was also one of the first portrait subjects when I renewed my interest in photography, and I always loved the shots we did at the Museum of Natural History (one of which can be seen here).I remember when we did those shots that we were worried we might get kicked out of the musuem. Eventually a security guard did come up to us......and gave us advice about how to get better shots!
Ben played some new songs, including a couple written for his daughter about toes and such. He also returned to some of his classic material like Skin and Bones. I'm always impressed by Ben's guitar playing and he did some nice work on a couple quieter tunes that had a bit of a jazzy feel to them. Ben played a big red electric guitar that he borrowed from a friend and he also had another friend of his sitting in on a stripped down drum kit for several songs. It was great to see Ben, Dawn, and Calliope, although I was sorry I couldn't catch up with them more and also that I had to cut out before seeing the rest of that night's sets.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Ladies Love Lach (and Guys Too)
When Lach stepped down from running the Antihoot in July 2008 I made a video in which lots of folks from the scene at that time reminisced about him and what the Sidewalk scene has meant to them. The video was meant as a tribute to Lach, but as an extra benefit (maybe just to me) it also captures some of the personalities who were present at Sidewalk around that time. I'd been meaning to get the video online one of these days, but guess what, even without me it somehow mysteriously found its way online, with extra-added titles and stuff. Well, enjoy. It's linked in the list at right in 5 parts called "Ladies Love Lach."
Monday Night Open Mic, May 4, 2009
Maybe it was me but I thought things were kind of sluggish the other night. I guess it happens occasionally.
I was glad to finally get a chance to hear Barry Bliss, who I'd heard a lot about in the last few years but who had been living out of town until recently. Barry did a song called Do Not Call On Jesus, at the piano. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to Barry's show the following night, but I look forward to hearing a full set sometime soon.
I was also glad to hear Jen's Revenge who told me that she hung out at Sidewalk for a long time in the 90s. She said she first encountered Lach when he was hosting an open mic briefly at a place called Rainbow on St. Marks. Well, that's another location to add to the list. According to Jen Lach might have only run things there for a few weeks. In any event, Jen performed a very funny song that integrated the catcalls and remarks she hears yelled at her on the street as well as pick-up lines she's encountered.
Other stuff/people: Liv Carrow, JT Hathaway, Enid Ellen (with white dots of facial makeup and a shirt shredded in strips), Christopher Kelly, Jon Berger, Richard Ringer (told of breaking into a friend's residence to steal back his own cap), Touching You (sang a lovely song about how 'humans are shit' and made the case that he's the smartest person on earth), Josh Fox, followed by his dad Howard Fox (who I believe sang "My Way"), Poez.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
I was at Sidewalk for a very solid Friday evening bill.
Aaron Invisible kicked things off. Some interesting songs. He seems inspired by a Dylan folk-vibe kind of thing and in fact covered a Dylan tune. He has an unusual singing voice, very different than what you would expect from talking to him and hard to describe, a little whispery, a littly reedy, a little high-pitched.
Jon Berger performed with Sanjay, his guitar playing sidekick. I really admire Jon for moving into the singing realm, even though his tonality is sometimes, shall we say, approximate. It's interesting because, although I guess you could call what he's performing songs, they're really more like sung poems. Jon also read some poems on an unaccompanied basis between his singing forays.
The Venn Diagrams. It seems as if the Venn Diagrams and The Young Dads have formed some kind of alliance because The Young Dads came up to introduce The Venn Diagrams. I love the material that The Venn Diagrams choose. They opened with "Take a Walk on the Wild Side," and had the audience singing along with the doot doot doots. They also had an audience member come up and blow soap bubbles. Then they sang a Kurt Weill song in a mix of German and English, and I think another song entirely in German. They gave a lesson in high-fiving (aim for the elbows) and performed a cover of 9 to 5. They also spoke about their mutual affection for Bea Arthur and did the theme song to The Golden Girls. It seems they have developed a specialty number for tip jar time...."We're in the Money." They closed with Dream a Little Dream. These guys are immensely talented. Jeffrey has a sublime voice and Rick provides very tasteful and tasty accompaniment. Their means of interpreting the songs they cover is usually to smooth them out and calm them down. Maybe what I mean by that is that they add a simple elegance. Anyway they stick pretty close to the original melody, but there definitely is a Venn Diagrams style to the tunes they interpret. Jeffery and Rick are both very funny, but they may lean a little too heavily on the in-between song schtick, especially since the dry humor of including songs like 9 to 5 and The Golden Girls stands so well on its own. In any event, I love what they do and always enjoy their shows.
The Young Dads. Holy moley. The young dads wore business suits and had an elaborate Powerpoint presentation to accompany their songs. What can I say? These guys are brilliantly funny. Their set was basically a take-off on corporate America with mock business graphs charting aspects of their songs and their performance. Between numbers they would pretend to take cell phone calls about business matters. One of the lines that kind of cracked me up was when one of the Dads said "excuse me, I've got to take this," in a very officious, businessman kind of way. There was one "cell phone conversation" in which the same Dad (I think) got into this chant of "yes, buy, no, sell, buy." He kept chanting that over and over like some sort of mantra. I've written about most of The Young Dads songs before and they did many of the favorites we know and love I've Planned Stuff for Us, What's the Use of Having a Threesome, Get the Most of My Membership, and the one from the perspective of two 9th grade girls, which is amaving, really, as a study in character.
I'll say it again, not only are they reliably funny, but The Young Dads are extremely musical. I'm always impressed by their harmonies and that they create a very full sound with just a bass and whatever you call the drum thing that the one Dad sits on. They're also in an interesting realm mixing comedy with songwriting. A lot of comic songwriting is very heavy-handed. I think the Young Dads have carved out a new kind of space for well-crafted comic songs. And yet another thing...I really liked the theatricality of their performance. I've said before that not enough performers at Sidewalk pay attention to the holistic aspects of their shows. Even if it's just how the band is dressed or how the stage is arranged, I think there's something to be said for thinking through the style of your presentation. Yes, maybe corporate America is an easy target. Not everything about that world is so black and white. But the Young Dads certainly drew from the images and stereotypes of that environment to create a truly original show at Sidewalk.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday Night Open Mic, April 13, 2009
The vibe was good this past Monday. There were all sorts of little things that made it fun, at least for me. I saw some friends who hadn't been around in a while, met some new people who seemed pretty interesting, hosted an edition of the Sidewalk Talk Show, and got to see some interesting performers.
Perhaps the most interesting was someone who went by the name Awareness. He was wearing a mask the entire time he was waiting his turn. It was round and white and held on by a strap around his head. I thought for sure he would grow uncomfortable at some point and take it off, but the guy was hard core and kept it on the entire two hours or so he waited and through his performance. One of his songs was called "I Like Rare Form," about the band Rare Form, which Awareness seems to like (I haven't been able to locate a band called Rare Form, at least through searching the web, although there is a group called In Rare Form-maybe that's it). Anyway, Ben offered Awareness a show.
Some of the performers from throughout the night:
xpunkx-sounding a lot like a 1980s synthesizer band (songs: "Radio Reconditioning" and "Alien Dance."
Brooke Pridemore-(a new song called "Mouthful of Bees" and "The Year I Get it Right"--Brook mentioned that on Tuesday he'd be heading out on tour)
Master Lee-Accompanied by Brer Brian on trumpet and Touching You on guitar
Joe Bendik-promoting his tax day show ("Pay Day" and a cover of the Beatles' "Tax Man")
Christine--sang a very poppy tune to a recorded track
Coo-Although I'm very tired of hearing her song "If You See Something, Say Something," which she performs in a fake southern twang, Coo is at times brilliantly funny. On Monday folks were cracking up, particularly at her song about women enjoying themselves without male companionship.
It had been a while since I'd presented an edition of the Sidewalk Talk Show, but I'd been thinking about asking the Brooklyn Tea Party to appear at some point and when I heard that three of the four roommates there were moving out it seemed the time was right. Although you probably already know this, Brooklyn Tea Party is the loft apartment shared by Rachel Devlin, Dan Costello, Brook Pridemore, and Michael David Campbell. When they moved in they built a stage and have been presenting shows on weekends for about two years now. I've always had a great time there and particularly enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the intimacy of the shows. Since most of the folks who attend the performances are at least loosely tied-in to the Sidewalk community, there always seems to be a sense of comfort there--like being at a party with a bunch of good friends and good music.
Anyway, it was fun talking to Brooklyn Tea Party from the stage at Sidewalk. Of course when it was over I thought of about 10 other questions I'd wanted to ask, but that's the way it goes. From the comments afterward it did seem as if the segment helped introduce some folks to the place, which is continuing to present shows even after Dan, Rachel and Michael move out. Brook Pridemore is staying and will be carrying on with a new group of folks.
Oh, usually I start the Talk Show with a recording of the Sidewalk Talk Show Theme Song, which, coincidentally, was recorded at Brooklyn Tea Party. But this time the recording was unavailable so Brer Brian jumped in and played it on the piano after I hummed it to him a few times. Thanks Brer.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Sidewalk Talk Show This Monday
What a great brew they've been serving on Stockholm Street. Things are evolving at this particular Brooklyn party and the masterminds of the scene will be the next guests on the Sidewalk Talk Show. Come learn all about what's in store. This Monday, April 13 at 10 p.m.
See you there.
Herb
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