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 Chuck Anderson |
Cultural Stimuli in NYC
Issue 271: sweltering flavor
We've been smooshed together, sweating in this concrete jungle for so long now that it's really starting to seem tropical — although we might
not go so far as to tack on the word "paradise." In an effort to soothe our tortured souls, we've assembled some picks designed to let us indulge in a good howl and let off some primal steam. You can cruise the Hudson with Antibalas, explore your simian side and dance like an idiot, put on your game face for the Blood Gulch Chronicles, or participate in a radical read-in. Tread lightly, and spread it ...
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flavorpill NYC is an email magazine covering a hand-picked selection of music, art, and cultural events — delivered each Tuesday afternoon.
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Want free Wi-Fi in every public space in NYC? Check out Andrew Rasiej's innovative campaign for Public Advocate. Rasiej founded the rock club Irving Plaza, the New York Nightlife Association, and MOUSE.org. Now he's running to reinvent city government with open-source ideas and peer-to-peer networking. Information is power — access to it should be a civil right. For more on Rasiej's plans to Connect NYC, go to www.rasiej.com.
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| DANCE |
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
| when: |
Tue 8.16, Fri 8.19 (8pm) & Sat 8.20 (2 & 8pm) |
| where: |
The Joyce Theater (175 8th Ave, 212.242.0800) map |
| price: |
$42 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Anything goes in Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's audacious repertoire, from the giddy "SF/LB," performed by 15 suit-clad dancers swaying to Leonard Bernstein's jazzy rhythms, to the magnetic "Gimme," a fierce study of the push-me-pull-me relationship, to the swinging '60s homage "Rooster," set to eight classic Rolling Stones hits. The company has built its reputation by presenting diverse works from leading choreographers around the world, featuring a wide variety of dance styles with impressive results, like the hypnotic pièce de résistance "Gnawa" — an elaborate work inspired by Moroccan mystical musician healers and set to atmospheric sounds from North Africa. (SP)
 In Chinese onomatopoeia, what sound does a rooster make? The first, third, fifth and seventh correct responses each win a pair of tickets to one of these performances.
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| FILM |
Reel Paradise
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Producer/author/Independent Film Channel host John Pierson may be something of an indie film god, but by 2002, he'd developed a serious case of cinennui. In his typical maverick style, Pierson forewent the standard midlife crisis and instead moved his family to the Fijian island of Taveuni, arguably the world's most remote location, to open a movie house that primarily screened Hollywood blockbusters. Reel Paradise, the resulting (indie) documentary by Hoop Dreams director Steve James, unflinchingly records how the Fijians and Piersons did and did not serve each other — asking dauntingly big questions about the international role of family, film, and Americans with equal measures of sardonicism and grace. (LR)
Which two young basketball hopefuls did James profile in Hoop Dreams (1994)? The first five correct responses each win a pair of tickets to one of these screenings.
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| MUSIC: Tween-Core |
Smoosh w/ Dynasty
| when: |
Wed 8.17 (8pm) |
| where: |
Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St, 212.219.3132) map |
| price: |
$15 / $12 advance |
| links: |
Event Info | Smoosh | Dynasty |
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Seattle duo Smoosh play smart pop songs, bouncy and danceable, all piano riffs and high, airy vocals. Oh, and they're kids — singer/pianist Asya's 13 years old, and her sister Chloe, who drums like she's beating the heck out of her pillow, instead of the big bully, is all of 11 — or is it 12? Kids grow up so fast these days. Their debut album, She Like Electric, percolates with enthusiasm as the sisters rip through original songs like the Tori-on-helium romp "It's Not Your Day to Shine" and the guileless 'tween rap of "Rad." Slightly more seasoned electropop locals Dynasty open. (TG)
What's fun to smoosh, and why? Our favorite answer wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| MUSIC: Indie Rock |
Group Sounds
| when: |
Wednesdays through 9.7 (9:30pm) |
| where: |
Pianos (158 Ludlow St, 212.505.3733) map |
| price: |
$10 |
| links: |
Event Info | Group Sounds |
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Tonight marks the first night of Group Sounds' Pianos residency, and while the band is surely hoping the stint will spawn CYHSY-like success, their primary concern seems to be having a raucous good time (on stage and off). Catch them while they're still in their element — the small stages and sweaty bars of the LES — 'cause the boys are primed to become Ludlow's very own Kaiser Chiefs. They're perhaps less dapper and precise than their British counterparts, but name-checking the Clash, Devo, and the Kinks (which they unabashedly pull off) seems less important when everyone in the place is already dancing. (LT)
In what film does George Clooney claim to be a "Dapper Dan man?" The third correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON WED |
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MUSIC: Antifolkrock
Hammell on Trial
Wed 8.17 (8pm) Southpaw (125 5th Ave, Park Slope, 718.230.0236) map $8
Event Info |
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Explosively hilarious and righteously angry, guitarist-gone-bad Hammell on Trial comes out with guns blazing as he crusades through Brooklyn at the first of three mad antifolk rallies. (BF)
 
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DJ
David J. Haskins w/ Madison Strays
Wed 8.17 (10pm) Hiro Ballroom (363 W 16th St, 212.242.4300) map $10 / $5 advance
Event Info |
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The Cheeky Bastards at Hiro host Bauhaus and Love and Rockets bassist David J, spinning a mix of Euro pop, glammy disco punk, and bossa nova grooves — proving old goths do learn new tricks. (IB)
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| MUSIC: Jazz |
Peter Epstein, Andy Milne, Drew Gress, and Tom Rainey
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Our radar screens sparkle when we get wind of leading downtown jazz musicians coming together to play in intimate venues. This summit of the contemporary avant-garde is a compelling combo for those with a taste for earnestly developed underground conceptual jazz. Cutting-edge bassist Drew Gress has made a rarified and much-acclaimed leap from jazz musician to modern composer; add hip-hop fusion pianist Andy Milne's rhythmic style, Tom Rainey's unbounded drumming, and sax-man Peter Epstein's ethnomusicology to Gress' professorial approach, and we get some heady improvisational explorations over an erudite, structured framework. Out with those tired random bleeps and blorps, and in with the 21st century. (JM)
What celebrated series of books is another A. (A.) Milne famous for? The fifth correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Garage Blues |
Holly Golightly w/ Tom Heinl and Tralala
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Even though Ms. Golightly likely owes recent fame to her duet with Jack White, this old-school, garage-punk blues diva has nearly enough albums under her belt to demand the kind of respect that White showed a certain coal miner's daughter. Golightly's new Slowly But Surely sees her tempering her trademark mean reds with a softer, more mature sound — perfectly realized on her cover of Little Willie John's "My Love Is," which she turns into a femme fatale prowl. She's also recently assembled a best-of compilation, My First Holly Golightly Album, which rightly resurrects harder, bluesier tracks from her past like "An Eye for an Empty Heart." Generally good for a rollicking live show, let's hope Holly hits the whiskey tonight. (JKG)
Note: Local scuzzy girl-power-pop septet Tralala opens, followed by the country karaoke of Tom Heinl. Golightly and Heinl also perform at Northsix on Tue 8.16
What's the connection between Holly Golightly and Truman Capote? The second correct response wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| ALSO ON THUR |
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MUSIC: Afrobeat
Rocks Off Cruise feat. Antibalas
Thur 8.18 (7pm boarding / 8pm departure) The Temptress (Pier 81, 41st St & West Side Highway) map $30 / $25 advance
Event Info |
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Brooklyn's Afrobeatniks Antibalas inundate the summer cruise ship Temptress with their polyrhythmic beats, ferocious funk percussion, and lyrical rallies in English, Spanish, and yes, even Yoruba. (FAY)
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DJ
Ali Shaheed Night
Thur 8.18 (10pm) Triple Crown (108 Bedford Ave, Wburg, 718.388.8883) map $5
Event Info |
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Ali Shaheed Muhammad's DJ selections are as deep and diverse as his legendary productions for Tribe would imply. This Bed-Stuy native son rocks the BK's slickest hip-hop spot every Thursday. (JL)
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| FILM |
El Crimen Perfecto
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Eclipsed only by Pedro Almodóvar in his native country of Spain, writer/director Alex de la Iglesia remains largely unnoticed in the US — but not because he's the inaccessible avant-gardist the term "foreign auteur" might connote. Rather, the charm of de la Iglesia's projects stems from an unashamedly broad, almost commercial humor. In El Crimen Perfecto, a rakish women's-clothing salesman inadvertently offs his rival and has to marry the one girl he doesn't desire in order to keep his secret. The film may be old-school sexist and too brightly lit (especially for a European venture), but it's also an especially taut black comedy that pleasantly smacks of Hitchcock. (LR)
What's the connection between de la Iglesia and Gary Gygax? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to a screening of El Crimen Perfecto.
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| ART: Reading |
Radical Read-Ins: LTTR's Summer Residency
| when: |
Fri 8.19 & Sat 9.10 (4-6pm) |
| where: |
Printed Matter (535 W 25th St, 212.925.0325) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info | LTTR |
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LTTR is no ordinary queer feminist collective, and its radical read-in events are a magnet for punk librarians, alt-bibliophiles, and anyone who believes that reading is a revolutionary act. As part of its artist residency at Printed Matter, LTTR hosts the second of three nights where visitors, as if at a book brothel, can have their way with the Chelsea art hub's selection of artists' books. Guests are also invited to discuss, debate, and demonstrate in the back reading room, where Justin Lowe has installed hundreds of pulp and romance novels, their colored pages forming a parquet-patterned floor. In order to promote safe text, free bookmarks will be distributed. (JK)
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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MUSIC: Art Pop
Enon
Fri 8.19 (11:30pm) Mercury Lounge (217 E Houston St, 212.260.4700) map $10
Event Info |
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The genre-bending Enon cut and paste flouncy art pop, tumbling percussion, and catchy samples into a prismatic and effervescent sound to please Saturday-morning cartoon fans everywhere. (BF)
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MUSIC: Alt Twang
Magnolia Electric Co. w/ Grand Buffet
Fri 8.19 (11:30pm) Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St, 212.219.3132) map $12 / $10 advance
Event Info |
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Jason Molina recasts a high, lonesome sound in his high, nasal voice, plumbing the depths of indie Americana and the melancholy terrain of What Comes After the Blues on MEC's first studio album. (JKG)
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| MUSIC: Indie Rock |
Hockey Night w/ the Jim Yoshii Pile-Up and Hopewell
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When we first caught Hockey Night a few years ago at Northsix, they were straight-up rap-punk (did we imagine that?), but Keep Guessin', the band's Lookout! debut, is the album Pavement should have made between Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Wowee Zowee — all playful, shouted choruses and fuzz like Malkmus has belly-button lint. The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up are an excellent Oakland slo-core-ish band on Absolutely Kosher, whose new album, Picks Us Apart, continues the steady sigh toward absolution. Hopewell have kicked around the space-rock scene for years, and with their The Birds of Appetite, they finally get their due. (YS)
Note: Hockey Night also plays at the South Street Seaport on Fri 8.19.
What's the Canadian term for an informal, pick-up-style game of hockey (on or off the ice)? The eighth correct response wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| DJ |
FIXED feat. Simian Mobile Disco
| when: |
Sat 8.20 (10pm) |
| where: |
Tribeca Grand Hotel (2 Ave of Americas, 212.519.6500) map |
| price: |
w/ RSVP |
| links: |
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Representing a dance floor-oriented faction of the UK pop-psych mothership Simian, the band's drummer and keyboardist have remixed the likes of Diefenbach and Air, as well as their own "Never Be Alone" under the Mobile Disco moniker. The duo also produces original cuts — most notably the bleepy electro-funk of "The Count," from the recent Kitsune X compilation. Their influences are rooted in some Pet Sounds-style heady, swirling, percussive psychedelia, but beneath lies a solid grasp and love of blatant pop hooks. Expect everything from laptop glitch-hop and tipsy electro to bread-and-butter soul and leftfield global esoterica cut up with live, on-the-fly edits. (CJN)
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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MUSIC: House
Warm Up feat. Tortured Soul w/ Jerome Sydenham and Ben Cook
Sat 8.20 (3-9pm) P.S.1 (22-25 Jackson Ave, LIC, 718.784.2084) map $8
Event Info |
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House music rings out in LIC, with Jerome Sydenham dropping Afro-disco-leaning selections, Ben Cook wading in dubbier waters, and local trio Tortured Soul getting soulful on drums, bass, keys, and mics. (JL)
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DJ
BASIC NYC presents Olivier Desmet
Sat 8.20 (9pm-5am) Sullivan Room (218 Sullivan St, 212.252.2151) map $15 / $10 w/ RSVP
Event Info |
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Amenti Music honcho Olivier Desmet jumps coasts to get us bumpin' to choice underground house. Taka and Takuya celebrate their record release, and as a bonus, Dubtribe's Michael Sultan is on skins all night. (CEH)
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DJ
Dance Idiot Dance feat. Lady Miss Kier
Sat 8.20 (10pm) The Melting Pot (69 W 14th St) map $10 / $7 before midnight / Leos free before midnight
Event Info |
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Formerly of dance-pop/camp-funk band Deee-Lite, Lady Miss Kier
channels her fluorescent personality through the decks, supported by
that purveyor of warped disco and punk funk Brennan Green. (CJN)
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| FILM |
RedvsBlue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles Season 3: Director's Cut
| when: |
Sun 8.21 (6pm) |
| where: |
Walter Reade Theater (70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 212.496.3809) map |
| price: |
$10 |
| links: |
Event Info | RedvsBlue |
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It takes a certain type to appreciate a series parodying first person shooter video games using the original 3D graphics engines. But judging from the wild popularity of Halo — this series' inspiration — there are enough of these certain types out there to have turned RedvsBlue's homegrown comedy into a smash hit. The hilarity stems not only from whip-smart dialogue, but also from witty play on the technical limitations of the machinima genre. Novices are advised to download the first two seasons' episodes before rushing to take in an entire new season of the cult classics. (SP)
What primary colors are represented in Krzysztof Kieslowski's film trilogy? The ninth and tenth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this screening.
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| ALSO ON SUN |
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MUSIC: Tweaker Rock
The Bunnybrains
Sun 8.21 (11pm) Cake Shop (152 Ludlow St, 212.253.0036) map $7
Event Info |
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Being weird for weirdness' sake is the rule as the Bunnybrains freaks bring their synapse-severed, art-ODed, pasty flesh-flaunting, disorderly conducted, psycho noise-punk. (JL)
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| MUSIC: Indie Rock |
Movable Hype 4.0 feat. Bravo Silva, Raising the Fawn, Langhorne Slim, and Doveman
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Gothamist cobbles together its fourth collective of Movable Hype with a vivacious trio of up-and-coming acts. As slick as their name implies, dynamic rock duo Bravo Silva dramatically weave together '80s pop rock, poignant songwriting, and deft guitar jams. Raising the Fawn — led by Broken Social Scene's John Crossingham — arrive from Toronto with an array of indie folk, Doveman brings quiet balladeering, and Langhorne Slim mellows his fans with banjo bayou blues and countryfied anecdotes. (FAY)
During which era in Chinese history did movable type originate? The third and sixth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| ART |
Minets à Polis/Minneapolis
| when: |
Now through Fri 8.19 (Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm) |
| where: |
Cohan and Leslie (138 10 Ave, 212.206.8710) map |
| price: |
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Event Info |
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Sampling everything from log cabin culture to WWF wrestling, Minets à Polis/Minneapolis is an elegant investigation into the mythology of the American heartland. Rising star Alec Soth headlines with portraits staged in rural interiors, while Todd Norsten stands out for his large-scale paintings that juxtapose folky illustrations with the expansive, obliterating whiteness of the Northern winter. Aaron Spangler's painted woodcarvings, lushly layered with organic details, combine a hint of Deliverance-style backwoods malice with exquisite craftsmanship; Robb Fischer's installations evoke Gordon Matta-Clark's building cuts; and David Rathman's chalky watercolors of boxers and wrestlers in iconic glory exemplify the subtle humor underpinning the works in exhibition. (AM)
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| PHOTOGRAPHY |
The Open Book: The History of the Photographic Book from 1878 to the Present
| when: |
Now through Sun 9.4 (Tue-Thur, Sat & Sun: 10am-6pm / Fri: 10am-8pm) |
| where: |
International Center of Photography (1133 6th Ave, 212.857.0000) map |
| price: |
$10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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A veritable who's who of photographic history, Open Book illustrates how groundbreaking artists, social observers, and brazen commentators have explored the camera's uncanny power to record, excite, and provoke. The installation flows in chronological order, from early portraits to an original copy of Alfred Stieglitz's fancy Camera Work and Paul Strand's legendary photo Blind. Contemporary gems include Diane Arbus' 1972 MoMA monograph — released just after her suicide — and Daido Moriyama's photocopy book depicting a somber, sweltering NYC. Newer editions of featured books are scattered at a nearby table, allowing visitors to touch and peruse this impressive display of visual chronicles. (JF)
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| FESTIVAL |
HOWL!
| when: |
Sun 8.21 - Sun 8.28 (schedule) |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Amidst the cultural gentrification and sanitization that is rapidly consuming the East Village, there still exists a sporadic oasis that transports everyone back to "the good old days" of the neighborhood — presumably when Deborah Harry ruled the arty punk dives. The third edition of the HOWL! festival presents 200 events all over the 'hood, including crowd-pleasing drag extravaganza Wigstock and theatre sub-fest Way the F*ck Off Broadway. The festival peppers its art offerings with countercultural gusto, including a marathon reading of Allen Ginsberg's namesake poem and the presence of Ms. Harry herself to shake things up for old time's sake. (SP)
The use of which drug is decried in a Ginsberg poem? The seventh, eighth, and ninth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to a HOWL! performance, and the tenth through the fourteenth correct answers each win a copy of Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer by Antonino D'Ambrosio.
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LIFE BLOOD: American Red Cross: Givelife.org |
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Every summer, the nation's blood supply runs dangerously short, as regular donors take vacations and high school and college students — who account for almost a fifth of all annual donations — leave for break. This year, the shortage has been particularly challenging, causing a strict rationing of supplies and increasing the risks for those in need. By presenting the stories of donor recipients at Givelife.org, the American Red Cross illustrates the current shortage in the simplest possible terms: a few minutes of your time can save a life. The site is a hub for survivors' tales, connecting potential donors to local blood drives and giving simple, accurate, and useful information about the process of giving blood. With only a zip code, visitors can schedule donation appointments and read about the affecting outcomes that a simple action can inspire. (NC)
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CD REVIEW: Konono No. 1, Congotronics |
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Crammed Discs
Released July 2005
$17.99 (Other Music)
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25 years ago, Congolese likembé (thumb piano) virtuoso Mawangu Mingiedi gathered a troupe of 11 musician friends, cobbled together microphones from discarded car parts, and built a wall-sized, rusty megaphone amplification system meant to be heard over his town's constant street noise. Now, after playing live for a full quarter-decade, Mingiedi's Konono No. 1 have finally recorded their debut record, Congotronics, a squall of distant call-and-response vocals, pot 'n pan percussion, and the frenzied, otherworldly plinking of three likembés of varying register and timbre, distorted to oblivion. Most fascinating is Konono's accidental overlap with the sounds of the Western avant-garde — there are times when the busy textures and live recordings resemble a no-fi Kraftwerk, or Tortoise smudging their clean polyrhythms way outside the lines. In truth, though, comparisons inevitably fall short. Konono No. 1 have made a vital, hypnotic album that sounds like little else on the planet. (TG)
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MULTIMEDIA: Gabba |
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Gabba, brainchild of the late Nick Kilroy, has evolved from what was essentially a static music blog to something much more interactive. With a free membership, you can access all of the posted MP3s, contribute your own (using a merit-based system), plus comment on and rate tracks. Recent posts have included the off-kilter drum-break stylings of Dabrye and the Japanese synth pop of Girls Tape Store, along with more above-ground tracks courtesy of Lil' Flip. From dancehall rarities to long-lost soundtracks, all sorts of music shows up here, so it's best to check in regularly. (CJN)
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| Header Design: |
| Coatimundi | Chuck Anderson |
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| Editors: |
| Titi monkey | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Bonobo | Jake Lancaster | | Binturong | Doug Levy | | Sugar gliders | Sascha Lewis | | Dusky conure | Andrew Maerkle | | Gibraltar ape | Mark Mangan | | Harlequin macaws | Colin J. Nagy | | Anaconda | Stephan Paschalides | | Golden-mantled rosella | Kristin Savarese |
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| ABOUT US |
| flavorpill NYC is a free weekly email magazine covering music, arts, and cultural events in New York City. All listings are pure editorial, never paid advertisements — no money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Read more about us, and spread it... |
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| FEEDBACK |
| Please let us know what's on your mind, any and all feedback — comments, questions, ideas, or rants. |
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| EVENT SUBMISSIONS |
| To let us know about an upcoming event that you think belongs here, please email us at events at least two weeks prior to the date.
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| Contributors: |
| Ocelot | Irene Bradish | | Red river hog | Nate Cavalieri | | Capuchin monkey | Brian Findley | | Tree frog | Julie Fishkin | | Tapyr | Todd Goldstein | | Clouded Tiger | Carl E. Hagen | | Three-toed sloth | Jessica Kraft | | Puma | John McCormick | | Mandrill | Lisa Rosman | | Panther | Yancey Strickler | | Cheeta | Faith-Ann Young |
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Production: |
| Okapi | Anjuli Ayer | | Bald uakari | Jessica Bauer-Greene | | Vested anteater | Sander-Martijn Milks | | Cougar | David Morrow | | African gray parrot | Dayo Olopade | | Kinkajou | Leah Taylor | | Spotted cuscus | Marcella Veneziale | | White-handed gibbon | Judah Wiedre |
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