events, music, politics

Make Music New York

Hey bloggers, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, I will be performing my No Police State song for anyone who shows up at the Green Oasis Garden, 8th Street between Ave C and D in New Yorks East Village, Saturday June 21st from 1pm-2pm as part of this years 2nd annual Make Music New York musical celebration. And in case you haven’t done so yet, you can sign up at Make Music New York to be a participating artist.

Make Music New York is a new live, free musical celebration across the city that takes place each June 21—the longest day of the year.

On that day, public space throughout the five boroughs—sidewalks, parks, community gardens, and more—become impromptu musical stages, dance floors, and social meeting points. Thousands of amateur musicians, in every genre, perform on sidewalks for the biggest crowds of their lives. Professional musicians perform for new audiences, who come out from under their headphones to hear unfamiliar groups risk-free. And everyone is invited to sing along and enjoy the first day of summer.

And in other thoughts, I received this email from Galinsky who does those really cool Manhattan Monologue Slams. And I thought this email looks interesting to repost:

Speak Out through New York Film Academy Tomorrow

Calling all friends, collegues and actors who have something to say

Join us in Union Square Park and express yourself in the New York Film Academy’s “I’m Mad As Hell…” video series

Tomorrow Tuesday April 29th, 10am-5pm rain or shine
Shooting in the South End of Union Square Park, under the Red NYFA Tent

Upset with something? Perhaps a recent court verdict? Perhaps the election process? Perhaps our pop culture has you thinking?

Speak out, comment and sound off on any subject you like. We want 30 seconds to one minute of your opinion/performance on anything from current news events, to the election, to your thoughts about the newest movie premieres, sporting events, cultural happenings, whatever! We will shoot and post it on You Tube for the world to see and hear you.

If you have something to say about the latest police acquitted verdict, We are going to capture and present all related materials and set up a special area on YouTube

Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind. And what does this have to do with a No Police State?

sports

Sports

And in case you happen to be into sports and are looking for nfl picks, 1st NFL picks is one of those websites that seem to be all sports all the time. You can find up to date information at their website for choosing your favorite games. And you can also sign up for free to pick the games yourself to see how you compare against the professionals.

music

Music

And somehow I wound up going to see this band called East Village Pharmacy play some really cool sounds of reggaetones at this place called SHRINE in Harlem last night. And this gave me yet another opportunity to drag that digital camera out of the closet whose only purpose seems to be to collect dust these days. And so I took that photo of them that I placed in this blog entry, and I also attempted to make a video of them performing one of their songs “Chocolate Cake”, with this digital camera to place on my YouTube page, and you can look at this video there. And SHRINE seems to be a scene in itself with several different bands performing last night, some of them reggae. And one of those SHRINE postcards that I got while I was there says it is a bar, restaurant, world music venue with live music performances, dj, comedy shows, poetry, theater, karaoke and art exhibitions. And another one of their flyers that was floating around seems as if they also put together those Mafrika Musical Festival’s each year at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem with Burkinabe Entertainment. This years festival will be hosted by Chris Karaoke and DJ. Kadafi and performers will be The Superpowers, Pink Noise, DJ. Sirak and Keremela Dance Group, Brown Rice Family, Devirock, Koony, Funk Face, The Octagon, Apollo Heights, Terry Blaine and Zoza Afrobeat. And those festivals rock. Have a great music day.

end times, food, religion

The Rice

And now in my religious fanaticism thoughts, I am starting to wondering if it is the beginning of the end of the world again as the other days cover of the Metro’s headline read “Hoarding epidemic hits U.S., New York”, as prices of rice, and other staples soar, stores resort to rationing. And this article had a photo and caption of 20 pound bags of rice being rationed. And then that verse in Revelations comes to mind, “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine”. Behold, is the black horse of famine, the tribulation, the 3rd seal of revelations, the anti christ and doomsday near. What would Nostradamus have to say about this impending silent tsunami famine of global grain shortages. Is this written in prophecy somewhere? Is 2012 here? Is the apocalypse near? Is it judgement day yet? And what about that Albert Einstein quote “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man,” what would he have to say about all of this. And I saw this recent phenomenon of people hoarding rice with my very own eyes yesterday as if it were really real, walls and walls full of big bags of rice when I went to this store in Chinatown, Asia’s bread basket bowl. And does any of this have to do with those bees that are dying from some sort of fungus and bats that are disappearing from some sort of fungus, and fish that are disappearing, and wheat that is disappearing from some sort of Ug99 fungus, and the price of barrels of oil going up and inflation going up even more from the Federal Reserve and Treasury printing up money to cover all of this national debt crisis and global warming and ecosystems that are collapsing thing? Is this all related. Is the beginning of the end near. Should I go and buy all of the rice I can find now before it is not there tomorrow or something. What does this all mean, Does Wikipedia have an entry for this?

food

This Energy Drink

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Now I’ve heard about those energy drinks. And I have even seen them around town seemingly everywhere these days. And those drinks usually show up at all kinds of functions and events, as they seem like to magical cure that can give one energy and possible keep one awake all day and night and more, as they are usually full of some something that just gives you energy. And now there seems to be one out there In energy drink land called MAXXED Energy Pops, and they are having a “You Make My Energy Pop” contest where you can enter to win the Xbox 360 Elite Bundle and $100 Gift Certificate and 12-pack of MAXXED Energy. Now that sounds like something I could possible use with my blogaholicness. And you can actually click through that energy meter that I placed on this blog entry to give yourself some energy and keep going. And what better way to win an xbox Elite than getting yourself some energy and joining their contest and keep going sweepstakes. And you can actually download their Maxxed Energy Meter to your favorite social media network and your friends can give you some energy so you can keep going. You can also see the different locations where that MAXXED energy pop team could be coming to a location and a retailer near you making it easier for you to get yourself some energy.

gun violence

An Email

And I received another one of those Todd Eaton emails today that seem to be all protest all the time. And this one is pretty grim, as they sometimes are:

Police Acquitted: New York Times.

April 25: Verdict on yet another person who has lost their life to gun violence due. Justice for this person and all victims of police violence, and gun violence. Come out April 25th, the day of the verdict. In 2006, yet another person has lost their life by the NYPD in a hail of 40 or 50 bullets. This loss of life represents the continued targeting of communities by the police and the lack of accountability for police misconduct and abuse.

Endorsers: Audre Lorde Project, Organizing Asian Communities, Congress for Korean Reunification, Desis Rising Up and Moving , DJ Chela, Domestic Workers United , Fierce, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition , Hasan Salaam, Hip Hop Caucus, Immigrant Justice Solidarity Project, International Action Center, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice , Justice Committee, Lynne Stewart Organization, Make the Road by Walking, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Mano a Mano, May 1st Coalition, National Hip Hop Political Convention, New Abolitionists, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, October 22nd Coalition, Parents Against Police Brutality, Rebel Diaz, Revolting in Pink (R.I.P), Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities , VAMOS Unidos. War Resisters League, Where We Live Radio Program/WBAI-FM NY.

And this leads me to think about guns and gun violence again, and I could copy my blog posts over and over in my appeal to end gun violence. Guns are the worst invention of an industry ever. If only guns could be abolished from every human being on the face of planet earth, and banned from all forms of advertising in news media, television, newspapers, commercials, clothing and any other form of media that influences culture. And if only that, is it the fourth amendment, of the constitution could be rewritten to say the right to bear sticks and stones instead of guns, as if property is worth more than people. Wouldn’t there be less trouble in the world if guns didn’t exist. And this is a story that has been told yesterday, is told today and will be told tomorrow in the seemingly never ending cycle of the beast that feeds upon itself, that another person has lost their life to gun violence. And in other thoughts, what are all of those headlines about “New York City Police begin toting submachine guns on subways” that have been in the news the past couple of days. Hugh? Hasn’t the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority thought up enough ways to terrorize its riders going their way already with its prerecorded “If you see something, say something” messages, and its random bag searches, and its cameras everywhere, and those police with attack dogs. Who are the terrorists here? Isn’t it possible for the subway and bus fares to be free and that Police, or at least their guns and attack weaons could disapear from the NYC MTA. Can the NYCMTA free its riders from oppression. It seems as if humanity is losing its civil rights in the name of security at the speed of light. And now one must be intimidated in fear and pretend that one can not possibly be machine gunned to death simply for going their way. Does Wikipedia have an entry for this as an explanation. What would Gandhi have to say about this. Is there hope for the world and society. Where is the world headed. No one is free when others are oppressed. Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind. And what does this have to do with a No Police State?

health

The Eyes

“The eyes have it”, “The light of the body is the eye”, and there are probably a lot of other sayings about the eye. And then there is actually seeing with the eye and vision difficulties. And how does one manage that. There are eyeglasses as an option. And then there is lasik eye surgery as an option. And if you happen to be looking for FDA Lasik, you can learn about Lasik eye surgery information from patients advocacy certified doctors. With the US Food and Drug Administration survey and CORE Lasik Quality of Life Patient Survey at USAEyes, you can find studies and information to answer all of your questions about lasik eye surgery. And there is an active patient bulletin board at their website. At USAEyes, there is information and statistics to be found for the eyes and vision.

life

The Rejection Hotline

Hey Bloggers, has anyone ever heard of that Rejection Hotline? It’s this telephone number that one can call to hear all of these prerecorded you were rejected messages of different sorts. And I can not exactly remember how I came across this number, years ago already, but it sure is funny and hilarious as heck to call and listen to all of those messages, or maybe it is not if one really was rejected and given this number by someone else. And the rejection hotline has different phone numbers for different cities such as Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. And the messages, audio clips, topics, and excuses to hear are just funny. There is the Break Up Butler Hotline number, The Bad Breath Notification Number, The It Could Always Suck More Hotline, The Telemarketers Nitemare Number and ring tone rejections somewhere to be found there also. This is one of those numbers that I could just call the different numbers to the different cities all day long just for entertainment. Have a great rejection hotline number day.

housing, music

Another Event

And I was reading another one of those Todd Eaton emails today that seem to be all protest all the time, and this one was titled “Time Out on Atlantic Yards“. And it was talking about developers destroying and demolishing whole communities in Brooklyn for no apparent reason other than I am not sure. And that word developer that I’ve been hearing a lot lately when it comes to overdevelopment leads me to wonder for what reason does the word developer contain the word devel which sounds like devil? Or is that a whole another blah blog posting. And in other thoughts, I received yet another email for yet another music event, and this one seems to be a jazz music event. And I usually find myself posting events that seem interesting because hey, it’s less writing sometimes:

For the second year in a row, “Home Field Advantage – Experimental Jazz in Jersey City” will present Jersey City based musicians performing cutting edge improvised music in their hometown every Friday in May. The festival, organized by Jersey City resident and musician James Keepnews, will take place at Toy Eaters Studio, Lex Leonard Gallery in Jersey City at 8pm. The festival’s concert schedule this year will be:

5/2 – Tony Malaby’s Tamarindo — with William Parker and Nasheet Waits
5/9 – People’s Revolutionary Party — debut of an avant-garde big band organized by James Keepnews, with Daniel Carter, Ras Moshe, Matt Lavelle, Tomchess and many others
5/16 – Bryan Beninghove — featuring Eyal Maoz and special guests
5/23 – Damian Catera — with Michael Lopez and G. E. Schwartz
5/30 – Nate Wooley — with Chris Speed, Reuben Radding and Harris Eisenstadt
5/2 – JC Resident and saxophonist Tony Malaby’s Tamarindo — with William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums

When Tony Malaby is not playing in bands led by Fred Hersch, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian and other greats, he’s leading a growing number of his own groups.
Some of Tony’s best work is with trios. Consider Open Loose with Mark Helias and Tom Rainey; or Tone Collector with Eivind Opsvik and Jeff Davis; or Malaby/Sanchez/Rainey,featuring Tony’s wife, the marvelous pianist Angelica Sanchez.

William Parker unveils his latest project being Corn Meal Dance and The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield. Nasheet Waits, of Jason Moran’s Bandwagon, can play with streamlined purity behind Fred Hersch one night, then unleash torrents of sound with Peter Brotzmann the next.

5/9 – People’s Revolutionary Party — debut of an avant-garde big band organized by JC resident James Keepnews, with Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet, flute and trumpet; Ras Moshe on saxophones and flute; Matt Lavelle on trumpet and bass clarinet; Tom Chess on saxophones, flute and Turkish ney; Nick Gianni on saxophones; Welf Dorr on saxophones; James Keepnews on guitar, laptop and electronics; Todd Nicholson on upright bass; and Michael Golub on drums, organizerd by James Keepnews.

James Keepnews has performed with Daniel Carter, George Lewis, Holland Hopson, Joe Giardullo, Linda Montano, Damian Catera and many others. Keepnews is a writer, actor and musican.His writing has appeared in the New Haven Advocate, the Fairfield Weekly, The Squid’s Ear, Reign of Toads and Metroland Magazine.

Daniel Carter has performed or recorded over the past three decades with such artists as: Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Billy Bang, William Parker, Roy Campbell, Sabir Mateen, Sonic Youth, Simone Forti, Joan Miller, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Nayo Takasaki, Earl Freeman, Dewey Johnson, Nami Yamamoto, Matthew Shipp, Billy Martin, John Medeski, Wilber Morris, Denis Charles, Medeski, Martin, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Options, Spring Heel Jack, Yo La Tengo, Federico Ughi, Raphé Malik, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Bob Moses, Jaco Pastorius, Enrico Rava, David S. Ware, Steve Swell, Matt Lavelle, Karl Berger, Don Pate, Gunter Hampel, David Grubbs, the No Kneck Blues Band, Alan Silva, Susie Ibarra, Steve Dalachinsky, D.J. Logic, Margaret Beals, Douglas Elliot, Butch Morris, TEST, Other Dimensions In Music, One World Ensemble, Saturnalia String Trio, Levitation Unit, Wet Paint.

Tomchess has performed with Drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson’s Decoding Society, Butch Morris’s Sheng Skyscraper, recorded with Tenor players Dewey Redman, Pharoah Sanders, Morrocan Sintarist Hassan Hakmoun and Butch Morris. He has studied with Bassam Saba, Tidiani Bangoura, Abdul Aziz Tourè and Mohammad Camarra. He has performed at the Turkish Embassy, the Pakastani Embassy and the Asian Society among countless other venues in NYC and the United States.

On his steady search for the right balance between “free” and “groove” Welf Dorr’s composing and (alto) playing are mixing influences from the jazz of the 60’s (from free jazz in general to Miles’ band with Wayne Shorter in particular) with contemporary elements from hip hop, drum&bass and world music. Originally from Munich (Germany) he studied at Berklee before he moved 1995 to New York. Here he played and recorded a.o. with Frank Lacy, Sonny Simmons, Sabir Mateen, Jeffrey Shurdut, Lukas Ligeti, Vernon Ried and participated in many conductions by Butch Morris as a member of the Nublu Orchestra. In 2005 he recorded a concert with a quintet including Kenny Wollesen on drums (no unfamiliar name in the NYC downtown jazz and avantgarde scene, who has played with all kinds of musicians from John Zorn to John Scofield) and Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet (long time member of Steve Coleman’s Five Elements). Besides playing in different jazz clubs in the US, Europe and Mexico he performed at festivals such as Willisau (Switzerland) or Celebrate Brooklyn as well as places as City Hall of New York.

Bassist and composer Todd Nicholson has performed with Billy Bang, Roy Campbell, Eddie Gale, Frank Lowe, William Parker, James Spaulding, and Steve Swell, among others. His work with the legendary violinist, Mr. Bang, is especially notable for its longevity: Nicholson has been a core member of Bang’s ensembles for the past seven years. He has appeared in the Vision Festival, the Rochester Jazz Festival, the Other Minds Festival, Tampere Jazz Happening, Sons d’Hiver, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and the Full Moon Festival. He has collaborated with numerous dancers, most recently Carmen deLavallade and Gus Solomons jr. at Symphony Space.

Michael Golub is a drummer, guitarist and socialist. He has composed music for the classic upstate ny ensemble, Kuru, who were briefly signed to Knitting Factory records, and for his current band, The Red Hook Project.

5/16 – JC resident and saxophonist Bryan Beninghove – featuring Eyal Maoz on guitar and special guests

Bryan Beninghove has performed with such jazz luminaries as Eddie Henderson, Rufus Reid, Ron Affif, Jamey Haddad as well as young guns like Mark Guiliana, Sam Barsh, Duane Eubanks, Rick Parker, Josh Dion. Bryan has also performed with the hard rock group Clutch, the indie band Lake Trout and beatbox extraordinaire Taylor McFerrin.

Guitarist Eyal Maoz is a composer and guitarist. Eyal was recently hosted at WNYC “Ear To Ear” radio program, presenting some of his music and ensembles. His latest CD Edom (Tzadik Records) with John Medeski on organ, Shanir Blumenkranz on bass and Ben Perowsky on drums is available now. His group Hypercolor just performed at the 2008 NYC Winter Jazzfest. Eyal’s ensemble Edom performed at the 2006 Montreal Jazz Festival, 2007 BAM Next Festival and at the 2007 Winter JazzFest. His ensembles performed at the Verizon Jazz festival, Jewish Music and Heritage, The Red Sea International Jazz Festival and many others.

5/23 – JC resident and interactive guitarist Damian Catera – with Michael Lopez on drums and spoken-word artist G. E. Schwartz on poetry and vocals

Damian Catera is an electroacoustic composer/improviser, sound installation and media artist. In recent years, Catera has performed solo improvised “decompositions” using computer manipulated live radios as instrumentation in such venues as the New Museum of Contemporary Art and The Kitchen in New York City , the ZKM institute in Germany and the Institute for Contemporary Art in Prague. He is represented by the Hogar Collection Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and is the recipient of a 2008 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Writer, poet and vocalist G. E. Schwartz, frozen by the mad love of John Montague and Joseph Brodsky and Joey Heatherton, and the immense teaching of their spring of broken symbols, has turned and twisted in the circles of SOLOMONS RAMADA, FAKING TRAINS and EONCHS OF RUBY. He forfeited the divine nameless by putting out the book Only Other Are: Poems (LEGIBLE PRESS), all the while his little finger plumbing the dark moist sepal of new terrain. The Bellingham Dance Company has just choreographed his ‘House of Silver Windows’ out in the Seattle area).

5/30 – JC resident and trumpeter Nate Wooley — with Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Reuben Radding on bass and JC resident Harris Eisenstadt on drums.

Nate Wooley is working with such improvisors as Paul Lytton, Anthony Braxton, John Butcher, Steve Beresford, Joe Morris, and Daniel Levin. His solo work, acoustic and with unprocessed amplification, has led him to work with bands such as Akron/Family, Wolf Eyes, Burning Star Core, and David Grubbs. The group, featuring Reuben Radding and Harris Eisenstadt, welcomes special guest Chris Speed tonight for a reading of this music as well as some of Nate’s new Christian Wolff inspired ‘exercises’.

Have a great music day.

No Police State Girl

No Police State Girl's blog is about everything No Police State and other random thoughts; music, art, fashion, lifestyle, technology, politics, the environment, saving the world and whatever else comes to mind.

Monthly Archives: April 2008