Tomorrow is December 4th, which means that:
-it is Jay Z’s birthday
-it has been 54 years since the first Burger King opened
-AND, there will be an awesome live music bonanza featuring excellent NYC-based bands at the Mercury Lounge.
My friends in A Million Years are playing alongside The King Left, and The Kiss Off. Atlanta’s Howlies will also grace the stage. This is gonna be sweet time, buy your tickets aqui!!!
$10 advance, $12 day of show
7:30 pm
Odetta, the classically trained folk, blues and gospel singer who used her powerfully rich and dusky voice to champion African American music and civil rights issues for more than half a century starting in the folk revival of the 1950s, has died. She was 77. She was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City for a checkup in mid-November but went into kidney failure. She died there Tuesday of heart disease, her manager, Doug Yeager, told the Associated Press.
With a repertoire that included 19th century slave songs and spirituals as well as the topical ballads of such 20th century folk icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Odetta became one of the most beloved figures in folk music. She was said to have influenced the emergence of artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin and Tracy Chapman.
“The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta,” Dylan once said. “From Odetta, I went to Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, little by little uncovering more as I went along.”
Her affinity for traditional African American folk songs was a hallmark of her long career, along with a voice that could easily sweep from dark, husky low notes to delicate yet goose bump-inducing high register tones.
“The first time I heard Odetta sing,” Seeger once said, “she sang Leadbelly’s ‘Take This Hammer’ and I went and told her how I wish Leadbelly was still alive so he could have heard her.”
Hey filmmakers! Rooftop Films wants you to know that you’ve got about a month to get your submissions in for the “early bird” fees ($9) to be considered for their 2009 Summer Series. Submit online at RooftopFilms.com.
From them:
Submit your movies! We are currently accepting submissions for the 2009 Summer Series. In May 2009 we will begin celebrating our 13th year of bringing the best underground films in the world outdoors and to the rooftops of New York. Submit your films and videos now and participate in one of the most unforgettable, unique, filmmaker-friendly, independent film events in the world!
image via Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
FREEwilliamsburg and Insound spent the night together last night, snuggling like lovers in a warm, musical rainstorm. This morning, we’re happy to announce our love child – a Brian Eno DVD contest! Enter by December 10th at Insound and you can win the 77 Million Paintings dvd by Brian Eno. We’ve seen it, it’s really awesome, and is just one tiny piece in Insound’s Holiday Gift Guide. Here’s a more formal description of the DVD, and if you think you’ll win, click through to enter!
From Insound:
The Limited Edition 77 Million Paintings features an exclusive interview DVD in which Brian Eno discusses his creation of the 77 Million Paintings software, the next evolutionary stage of his exploration into light as an artist’s medium and the aesthetic possibilities of “generative software.” This program creates a constantly evolving, slowly changing “light painting” on the screen of your computer or TV with a virtually infinite number of variations accompanied by the music of Brian Eno. This deluxe package also includes a 52-page book featuring an extensive essay by Eno. PLAYABLE on Mac or PC.
Dustin Klare, Journey to Somewhere Like This,2007 NURTUREArt has been a bastion for up-and-coming curators and artists since 1997. It’s current group show Present Perfect Continuous marks the strong curatorial debut of Denise Wong. Taking its cue from the grammatical tense present perfect continuous, the show’s premise revolves around two ideas: migration and memory. Here, the audience sees artists from diverse backgrounds congregating together in New York; in so doing, this migration of sorts provides the backbone for each work’s narrative.
On a purely aesthetic level, the works are quite gripping. Many of the pieces touch upon the new psychedelic movement that has been prevailing for the past several years, pairing a colorful palette with painstakingly crafted abstraction. Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces is Sarah Julig’s interactive photo collage installation. Julig invites the viewer to share in her personal history by submerging himself/herself inside the piece for a short period of time; the result is intended to communalize the artist’s experience with that of the viewer’s. Present Perfect Continuous also features: Yasemin Kackar-Demirel, Andrew Eklund, Dustin Klare, Elizabeth Knowles, Hilary Lorenz, Nesta Mayo and Gelah Penn. NURTUREArt is located at 910 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY. Check out the show before it closes on Saturday, December 13th.
Howdy readers –
Are we human, or are we dancer? I have no idea, but l CANNOT get that damn song out of my head. So it’s a good thing that it’s the start of a new month, with a new mix. You can click on the iTunes link to sample the tracks or buy them, and for stuff that’s not released yet there are non-iTunes options.
Give it a whirl!
1. Bell – ‚”Echinacea”
2. The Marches – ‚”4AM is the New Midnight”
3. Tigercity – ‚”Are You Sensation”
4. Of Montreal – ‚”Gallery Piece”
5. Kid Sister – ‚”Get Fresh” – listen to it here on last.fm!
6. Abigail Warchild – ‚”Nixons Gun” ‚Äì you may download this gem via RCRDLBL.com.
7. Honey Claws – ‚”Shout Out”
8. AA Bondy – ‚”There’s a Reason”
9. Stars Like Fleas – ‚”You are My Memoir”
10. cortez! cortez!! – ‚”Bad Lieutenant” – play it on their MySpace page, right here.
11. Late of the Pier – ‚”The Enemy Are the Future”
Now this is a great spin-off of the I Can Has Cheezburger meme – I Can Has Hipster. It’s easy enough to replicate, so everyone can do it! Give yours a try here, and then send it in. We’ll post the best ones. Some samples, via Zoomdoggle:
Fresh Surface is a a digital marketplace for emerging artists to display and sell their work, and they’re hosting an awesome event Friday night at t.b.d. lounge in Greenpoint. There will be an exhibition of different artists’ pieces, free Wild Turkey American Honey (the chic-est type of Wild Turkey around!) as well as a silent auction and raffle sponsored by Williamsburg/Greenpoint-based businesses. Proceeds will benefit St. Nick’s Neighborhood Preservation Corp, a non-profit that creates affordable housing in North Brooklyn.
All you need to do is RSVP to info@freshsurfaceart.com!
December 5th, 7-10 pm
t.b.d. Lounge, 224 Franklin Street @ Greene Street
