Celebrating Community
To music aficionados and dedicated album-liner-note-completists, the names Don Dixon and Marti Jones should be instantly recognizable. In the 1980s Dixon produced albums from seminal indie acts Guadalcanal Diary, Dumptruck, New Jersey’s Smithereens and co-produced early albums for R.E.M. with Let’s Active’s Mitch Easter. It’s of note that Dixon was one of several producers considered to produce Nirvana’s breakthrough album […]
I have an important announcement to make. Clermont Ferrand, the founder and lead singer of Brooklyn’s catchy French pop and rock band Les Sans Culottes, is not who he says he is. His real name is Bill Carney, c/o 47 Railway Junction, Apartment 2E, Brooklyn, NY. It’s not easy pulling off the dual personality number, unless you have the experience. […]
It all could have been wrapped up for Nick Lowe by 1994. He’d had moderate success and had earned favorable reviews. He had a couple of songs – “Cruel to Be Kind” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?” – that seemed universally known, though they’d come out ages ago. He’d even married into American music royalty by […]
The first time I saw Steve Forbert was the only time I went to CBGB’s, only because back in the day I wasn’t much of a punkster (my loss). When Forbert first came to NY though, Hilly Kristal was booking more folky acts. By 1980, Forbert was already somewhat of a star, playing clubs all over the country, and owner […]
John Pinamonti and his band have been performing as a regular combo at Sunny’s Bar on Conover Street, Red Hook, since the year 2000. The history of Sunny’s Bar is wonderfully told in Tim Sultan’s book Sunny’s Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar on the Edge of the World (2016). I have no intention of competing with that; indeed […]
The fifth annual Brooklyn Americana Festival is September 19 to 22 in several spots primarily surrounding the East River in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Jan Bell (who has several albums and toured the United States and Europe in her own right), the Brooklyn Americana Festival is quickly establishing itself as a major artery of the Americana music establishment. Brooklyn, […]
Help! I’m being swallowed by an avalanche of needless reply-alls! A cascading torrent of “sound’s good’s and “right on”s have squeezed the air out of me. Endless streams of emojis and GIFs berate me from day into night into day again. Needless questions directed at anybody on the thread but me… the “gig economy” (aka freelancing) has taken the form […]
Black voices and stories have historically been silenced or pushed to the background. Afrofuturism puts a spotlight on black stories, and conceptually, the genre places black subjects in settings that didn’t usually include or consider them. Afrofuturism, in short, is where the themes of black culture throughout the diaspora meet technology and science fiction, usually via an artistic medium. Though […]
My oldest friend Lan comes into New York City about once a year nowadays. He’s lived in Orlando, Florida, for the past 20 years. One night, three years ago, he insists that we go out. “It’s late. I’m tired,” I say, feeling lame. But it’s a cool summer night in Brooklyn. He didn’t come all the way from swamp Orlando […]
There are a ton of parties that spring up (and disappear) throughout the city. In New York, plenty of weekends are a tug-of-war between your FOMO (fear of missing out) and pestering indecisiveness. There are so many options – your bed, takeout and Netflix usually being a staple and comfortable one. If you’re too lazy to go out clubbing or […]