Celebrating Community
Great TV shows not only reflect the current culture, but also offers a subtle critique of it — avoiding heavy-handed, simplistic moralism in favor of deeply comic and profound reflections on the nuanced power structures and characters that create what issues the show critiques. Others are wholesome depictions of society as we wish it would be. There is not a […]
Slavic Soul Party! needs no introduction – and in fact, when they played Tuesday, February 19th at Barbès, they had none. “So, uh, in conclusion, this is Slavic Soul Party” Matt Moran, the band’s composer and percussionist, a wiry, gregarious figure, stated. And they were off. What else is there to say about the band that has played at Barbès […]
Vice Adam Mckay’s latest film “Vice” begins with a dramatically posed question from an unspecified narrator: how is a man like Dick Cheney (played by Christian Bale)- a man who as the vice-president expanded executive power and drastically increased America’s foreign influence almost invisibly-made? For all its initial emphasis on Cheney’s subtlety and self-erasure from politics, the film mirrors none […]
The Dr. Who themed space redefines the bar experience with events curated to a nerdy clientele. The Way Station, located in Prospect Heights, certainly offers a healthy variety of traditional bar activities: it’s the Prospect Heights’ venue for Geeks Who Drink, the national trivia company where losers who can’t free up RAM in their brains for more useful knowledge get […]
Walking into the Jalopy last Saturday, November 24th, felt like walking into the world portrayed by the Coen Brothers in 2012’s Inside Llewyn Davis: dimly lit, with red and white tea lights hanging from the ceiling, exposed brick walls, a bright, red curtain framing the stage. Most attendees contributed to the coziness of the décor with thickly knit sweaters and […]
“Hold Still,” Brooklyn local Mary-Elaine Jenkins’ debut album draws on the long traditions of southern folk to examine the perils of romance and loss. As streaming has effectively erased the imperative to listen to albums start to finish, Jenkins’ album constitutes a thorough exploration of men and romance gone awry. Despite the often plaintive lyrics about failed relationships and disappointing forays into love, Jenkins’ balances the tone of the […]
LIZZIE AND THE MAKERS is composed of a rather unlikely looking bunch of rockstars. The median age trends a little older than one might initially suspect of an up-and-coming band, but their rise could hardly be disputed. Their November shows at Rockwood Music Hall and Hometown Barbecue featured guest guitarist Reeves Gabrel, of David Bowie fame, who will be touring […]
Set in Western Liberia, She Would Be King (out Sept 11) begins with the promising premise of a black girl born with red hair and soon cast out from her community. Children taunt her by yelling “witch!”, and at first you may think what bored punks until it’s apparent they have a point, as this story revolves around a protagonist […]