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STAR REVUE
DECEMBER 2019 INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
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THE NEW VOICE OF NEW YORK
INTERVIEW WITH RED HOOK PIONEER page 15 Educator calls out police overreach
page 7
Mother Cabrini Procla
imed Saint
Everything you need to know about Mother Cabrini
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Hornblower ferries in turkeys for the holiday!
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NYC Ferry in collaboration with NYCHA Red Hook Houses and PortSide New York, and NYCEDC gave away 250 turkeys before the holiday. They also donated 250 gift cards to NYCHA families experiencing gas outages to buy a hot meal for Thanksgiving. Assemblyman 7.5" Felix Ortiz and NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett and representatives from NYC Ferry and PortSide New York participated.
Merry Band of Contributors Sonia Kodiak-Wilder George Grella Roderick Thomas, Michael Fiorito, Jack Grace, Mike Morgan, Andrew B. White, Stefan Zeniuk, Jody Callahan, Piotr Pillady, Caleb Drickey, Dante A. Ciampaglia, Jaimie Branch
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December 2019
Old schoo
FLaollcaAlrCtosl ujournalism for Pnrceilvmieaw n lS ays the 21st ce
Fiorito on target
Since I moved to Brooklyn, I have been reading the Red Hook StarRevue. Honestly, the articles I have enjoyed the most are those by Mike Fiorito who was on target in highlighting the jazz music contributions made by Louis Prima, his son and other Italian Americans involved in New Orleans-style jazz. Kudos to Mr. Fiorito for highlighting an important component of Italian American contributions to US jazz that, to my knowledge, has not received any attention both in the past and present. Additionally, I would like to make two corrections to Erin DeGregorio’s article on Barbetta Restaurant. First, the correct spelling of the Italian Region of Piedmont is as follows: In English, it’s Piedmont and not “Piedmonte”; in Italian, it’s Piemonte. Second, while Piedmont or Piemonte may be viewed as “Italy’s northwestern-most region,” there is also Val D’ Aosta, the smallest region in Italy, located north of western Piedmont that shares the same borders with France and Switzerland. Geography is important considering that many of our students in secondary and higher education have a mediocre knowledge of the discipline. Third, opinions provided by Brett Yates’ two articles on Brexit and “young Republicans in Brooklyn,” raise some concerns about language and one-sided perspectives provided to readers of the newspaper. First, on Brexit, having recently spent several days in London that included the first day of the opening of Parliament, I was repeatedly reminded by Brexit supporters that at least half of the British population was not interested in losing control of their nation’s destiny to a bunch of non-elected bureaucrats in Brussels. Also, the issue of immigration came up. Here too, most Britons are not interested in being overwhelmed by an open borders immigration system that is not orderly and regulated. As for the other article on “young Republicans in Brooklyn,” I found it rather naive that Mr. Yates referred to to “the Electoral College, the Senate” as “antidemocratic political institutions.” This is nonsense since the members of the Senate are directly elected by the people (Article XVII of US Constitution) whereas the members of the Electoral College who are selected by the people of each state, are called upon by the US Constitution (XII Amendment) to cast their “ballots on behalf of the President and Vice President.” As to why the Founding Fathers opted for the Electoral College, I recommend that Mr. Yates read The Federalist Papers, and, in particular, essay No. 67 written by Alexander Hamilton. Last, it is obvious that Mr. Yates narrative is more attuned to his own political agenda and not the legal documents that have guided America’s constitutional
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LETTERS
SSTTAARR
send them to george@ redhookstar.com or post on our website, www.star-revue.com.
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TH EENEW V H TTH NE VO IIC EO "We haveE NEW OFF NEW F RFEFREREEEE W VO CCE a new dys O I E FNN topia to w EW YYO centers, o RK orry aboO perated b ut: robot-EW O YR OK RK powered control ev y an all-powerful fulfillm megaco ery sin
Local pharmacies important
I’d just like to give a well-deserved shout out to everyone at Nate’s Pharmacy on Van Brunt Street. The whole staff is awesome! They give stellar service to everyone who walks in and they are always smiling. The staff have a great camaraderie with each other and I depend on them a lot. They go above and beyond for me and others so I, Miriam Rivera, commend you all and I hope your are around for a long time! Yours Truly, Red Hook Rican! PS. I love your paper! Can you bring back the blue pencil issue? It’s hilarious. Editor’s Note – The Blue Pencil Lunar Revue has been published in the past on April Fool’s Day, and occasional other times. In it we lampooned many Red Hook personalities, and possibly upset some of them. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime…
Letter from the folks at UPS
I wanted to reach out to everyone with an update, as we committed to do on a regular basis, on how UPS development of the property in Red Hook is progressing. First, we’re pleased to let you know that we have been actively working to preserve and shore the gable wall of the Lidgerwood building, as we promised we would do. We are currently working through the permitting process and expect to be able to begin preservation activities in the first quarter of 2020. You may have noticed demolition debris on the UPS property, especially at 68 Ferris Street and 300 Coffey Street. In that demolition debris on-site, you should know that there is no asbestos or other contaminated materials. The only asbestos from the original buildings that remains on the UPS property is in the roof of the remaining sections of the Lidgerwood building. That material is “non-friable,” which means that even if damaged, the material will not readily release asbestos fibers. All other contaminated materials have been removed and disposed of properly, per regulatory guidance. UPS also conducted air monitoring throughout the asbestos abatement activities, and the results were submitted to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection daily. The site did not exceed the city’s strict limits at any point during the abatement process, and we continue to ensure that on-going activities on the property meet the highest standards of safety for our people and the surrounding community. The Brownfield remediation between Wolcott Street and Sullivan Street is progressing according to its environmental program, which was reviewed and approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). This program includes a “Community Air Monitoring Plan”
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Imag ed immediately if the levels exceeded eakeasy. t that will giv ine all-nigh t cocktails e you and gourme t treats, the state’s limits and needed to be addressed. We expect this lot to be fully remediated by the end of January, at We work hard to present you with which point the remediation process an information and entertaining (continued on page 7) package of news, events and adverwill move to the lot acrossSCWolcott OTT PFA FFMA tising living in the city a N IS Ethat Street. VERYmakes WHE n television , the Demo crat- In ic candidate a way, the Andrew Yan Yang cam has for the g gia for paign’s past year shopping run a tha malls is mo nostalsingle-issue n any re striking president campaign in 2020, cen for the Am statistic about tough ter times in ised unive azon-dom ing a promrsal basic inated retail No t long ago, income (UB market. $1,000 a mo these sleek I) of tem nth for eve consumeris ples symbol ry adult in United Sta t ized Americ tes. 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What ha ppened songs? to all the prot Jack Gr ace won est ders Long Ry de Marti Jo rs, Don Dixo n and nes, High Les Sans women Culott , es and Nick Lo we George Grella on Jaso n Mora n Show
As we’ve said before, UPS believes in always being a good steward of the environment, and we know that a cleaner, healthier foundation for this project is an important place to start. In fact, the UPS remediation process in Red Hook leverages a variety of sustainable practices, such as using solar power for monitoring tools and reusing excavation support materials.Laura Lane, President of UPS Global Public Affairs
Rocky's is still cool
Rocky Sullivan’s is one of my favorite venues in NYC. They always pay their bands! They have a built-in crowd with no wall separating the performance space from the bar (which greatly impacts the sound). The promoter and sound tech are warm and welcoming. Red Hook’s Rocky Sullivan’s deserves a shout-out for uniquely supporting emerging talent and maintaining an old-school approach. They are doing it right. I wish other venues would do the same. – Flyin’ J
John and Paul
Many thanks to Mike Fiorito for his beautiful tribute to the magic of The Beatles & particularly the wonderful genius of Lennon & McCartney. Unfortunately, it was more of a total disagreement over who should manage their business affairs, that caused the break up of The Beatles, after Brian Epstein’s death… Paul wanted his Father-in-!aw, Lee Eastman, while the other 3 voted for Allen Klein… It would ultimately break up the band & eventually cost them the publishing rights to their own songs! However, Paul’s “Here Today” song tribute to John, perfectly sums up the love & appreciation that Paul still feels for John…. I can’t even “Imagine” my life, without all the comfort & joy of my favorite music by The Beatles!! – EMP
page 34
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Two geniuses
This is a beautiful, moving piece that captures the essence of Lennon-McCartney: two very different geniuses who together equaled more than the sum of their parts. Lennon gave McCartney soul and McCartney grounded Lennon’s boundless vision. When one was gone, the other could nevermore be complete. Very well done. – Anthony Galioto
www.star-revue.com
December 2019, Page 3
we welcome 2020!
hoping you find moments of great joy, wide-eyed wonder, amazement and cheer.
Brooklyn Collective Holiday Gift Show! FRIDAY DECEMBER 6TH, 6-9 PM
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December 2019
BRETT YATES'S VIEW:
The right amount of fare evasion
A
new YouTube genre has gone viral in New York City. This fall, NYPD cops became social media stars inside the city’s subway stations, thanks to iPhone videos recorded by MTA passengers. At home, Facebook and Twitter users watched the officers – sometimes a dozen at a time – swarm fare-evaders, tackle a candy vendor, point loaded guns into a crowded subway car, and arrest a crying woman for selling churros without a permit. On November 1, activists from Decolonize This Place led hundreds of demonstrators through Brooklyn in protest against Governor Cuomo’s plan to hire 500 new state cops to patrol MTA stops, where they’ll join an existing team of 2,500 watchdogs in uniform. In the interim, Mayor de Blasio has greenlit an equivalent Fare Enforcement Task Force that has sent additional NYPD to 100 “fare evasion hotspots.” Ostensibly, the main purpose of the subway cops is to deter fare evasion and thereby help the MTA avoid financial catastrophe. In order to deter fare evasion, they occasionally have to brutalize someone (often a young black or brown person) who can’t afford the $2.75 it costs to get home, to work, or to school – as if someone who can’t afford $2.75 doesn’t already have enough problems.
The cure is worse than the disease The math here is a little fuzzy. If the average NYPD officer makes about $41 per hour, each subway cop would have to deter 15 fare evaders every hour to earn their salary. It seems unlikely. The MTA’s own chief financial officer estimated that Cuomo’s new MTA enforcers will cost $249 million over the next four years, but by his calculation their anti-evasion tactics will add only $200 million to the farebox over the same period. On the other hand, one might argue that, without anyone to hand out tickets to fare evaders, no one would buy a MetroCard, and then the MTA couldn’t afford to run the trains. Evidently, the present quantity of law enforcement in our subways makes a lot of New Yorkers uncomfortable, but most of them probably would admit that practicality demands some mechanism in place to persuade the majority of riders not to jump the turnstiles: if not arrests, then at least the possibility of a fine. The inherent problem of such a mechanism – that is, that the financial penalties intended to discourage fare evasion will inevitably go to riders who already couldn’t afford the much smaller fare itself – may seem unavoidable to most New Yorkers. If we therefore consent to this system, how do we ensure that the MTA creates enough incentive for riders to swipe their MetroCards without turning each subway station into a miniature police state? What’s the right bal-
Red Hook Star-Revue
ance to strike?
Without the subway, there is nothing In order to try to answer this question, we must first understand a few basic facts about the New York City Subway. Operated by the New York City Transit Authority (a subsidiary of the MTA), the subway hosts roughly six million riders a day in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Its annual operating expenses total about $8.7 billion (more than half the MTA budget), but it plays a primary role in facilitat-
more of the cost of society’s civil and social infrastructure if they’ve reaped a greater bounty from that society – or, simply, that wealthier people should pay more in taxes because wealthier people can afford it. In January, the MTA will begin open enrollment for its Fair Fares program (now in a trial phase), which will allow the city’s poorest residents to pay half-price for the subway, but its stingy cutoff point – $12,490 in annual income for a one-person household – will leave out many struggling New Yorkers, thus diminishing its corrective effect on the regressive nature of MTA fare. A superior tactic for making the New York City Subway more just is the one known as “fare evasion,” discussed earlier in this article. Fare evasion works as follows: some city residents can’t afford to pay for the subway, so instead of swiping a MetroCard before entering, they dodge the turnstile or sneak in through the service gate. Under this system, middle-class and wealthy MTA passengers throw in a few bucks per ride, but those for whom a $2.75 fee would constitute a meaningful burden quietly sidestep the collection process. Thus, fare evasion informally mitigates the regressive structure of the tax.
NYPD keeping busy
ing a local economy of $1.5 trillion. Whether they use it or not, every New Yorker benefits from the New York City Subway because, without it, the entire city – its commerce, its social life, even its other public services – would grind to a halt.
Fare evasion has a few problems – for instance, hurdling the turnstile may
be difficult for elderly or handicapped people – but the major problem is that it’s illegal. It’s illegal likely because the government doesn’t trust its citizens to apply the technique honorably. Again, if the NYPD ceased fare enforcement, thus freeing impoverished fare evaders of the MTA’s regressive tax, wouldn’t everyone else, after a while, stop paying the fare as well? Instead of a regressive tax, we’d eventually have no tax at all (except for all the other taxes that contribute 62 percent of the MTA’s annual budget).
Two ideas Is there any way to thread the needle here? It may require some creativity, but we could start just by scaling down the police presence in the subways. My own suspicion is that we could remove all the cops from the stations, and New York’s bourgeoisie would continue to pay the fare out of habit. But a lack of fare enforcement would probably persuade some borderline cases – people for whom the subway price is an inconvenience but not a serious challenge – to ride for free. Unfortunately, to hit the ideal level of fare evasion, we may have to continue to ensure that fare evasion comes with a sense of risk: that way, the people who do it are the ones who need to do it – they prove their need by submit-
(continued on next page)
Business owners depend on it to bring their employees to work. Drivers depend on it because, if not for the subway, so many cars would clog the roads as to render them unusable. A city of New York’s size and density couldn’t survive without a subway, which remains the most efficient way to move large numbers of people around. For this reason, we all pay for the subway through a number of taxes. Specifically, New York City and New York State dedicate a slim portion of their general revenue from income and property taxes to the MTA, and then they deploy a number of small, specific taxes whose revenues go entirely to the MTA, including a payroll tax, a petroleum tax, and a tax on taxi trips.
“Unfare” financing By far, the strangest of the taxes collected specifically on behalf of the MTA is the one known as “fare.” Fare, as many readers must know, is a tax of $2.75 per bus or subway trip, charged to each rider at the point of service. Fare is a regressive tax, which means that the poorer you are, the more you’ll pay as a percentage of your total income: whether you make $20,000 per year or $2 million per year, the subway costs $2.75. Obviously, $2.75 is a more significant bill for the former passenger than the latter. Generally, fair-minded people tend to prefer progressive taxes because they believe that taxpayers should shoulder
www.star-revue.com
December 2019, Page 5
Yates
spend the night hungry than risk an encounter with law enforcement.
(continued from previous page
ting to the danger of a possible fine. But how real does the risk have to be? Yes, if no one ever got ticketed for fare evasion again, the broad MTA ridership would eventually catch on. But I have an idea for that. Here it is: what if the MTA hired actors and, in collaboration with the NYPD, periodically staged fare evasion crackdowns in highly visible locations? A couple times a week inside popular subway stations, the general public would see phony tickets handed out to turnstile-jumping performers and therefore would assume that they’d better continue refilling their MetroCards. At the same time, fare evaders would, out of need, continue to jump the turnstiles in spite of the “danger.” But the beautiful part is that there would be no real danger anymore: we would now have a system of fare enforcement that wouldn’t depend on penalizing the poor. It would depend only on stagecraft. The NYPD could continue to rack up hits on social media by occasionally arranging highspeed chases with professional stuntmen playing the “fare evaders.”
The sad truth is that, if we really want to make the MTA completely fair to everyone, we can’t rely on realistic, pragmatic solutions like turning the subway cops into theater performers. The true answer is bolder but simpler: make the subway (and the buses) free to ride for everyone. “Free subway rides! How would we pay for that?” our conservative friends (and most of our liberal ones) will ask. The answer: duh – we’re already paying for it. Making the subway free wouldn’t increase the cost of providing subway service – it’d just mean that we’d pay for the cost through progressive taxation instead of regressive fare collection. I don’t pay a fee every time I want to use the city sidewalks for a stroll, but somehow the sidewalks still get funding. I mean, don’t I already send the government money every April? Just tack the cost of my MetroCard onto the bill – in fact, take a little extra, and make the trains run on time from now on.
Of course, this proposal, too, has a few flaws. One is its clandestine quality; the other is that many, many poor people don’t evade the subway fare. Presumably some have made a principled commitment to following the law even when the law is stupid, no matter how dear the cost to themselves; for others, perhaps, the fear of cops is so intense that they’d rather
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Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019
Educator condemns Halloween arrests by Nathan Weiser
N
atasha Campbell, the founder of Red Hook’s charter school, Summit Academy, spoke eloquently about the consequences of a well-publicized incident on Halloween that involved some local children. After a cell phone robbery allegedly took place in Carroll Gardens, five local teenagers were arrested and taken to the 76th Precinct. While two were immediately released, three of them, the youngest being 12, were handcuffed to desks while their parents were contacted. “The whole police incident happened on Court Street near the movie theater,” Campbell said. “They were not even at the park when they were picked up. They were picked up because the police were looking for a group of teenagers. They were a group of teenagers.” “I know that based on the arrests they were not arrested for robbery,” Campbell said. “My natural inclination is to believe that the evidence does not point to them being the persons that stole the cell phone. Other than that, I could not tell you all the intricacies of the police report because I don’t know that I’m privy to that.” “My concern was that while I am a supporter of law enforcement protecting and serving, I also am very clear that we need to be conscious of the way we approach communities of color,” Campbell said. “It is not the same as it is in communities that are not of color.” Shortly after the news about the incident on Court Street, there was a meeting of community members, business owners, and people who were concerned because some of the kids were from the Red Hook community. It was discovered a few days after the community meeting that some Summit children were involved. That augmented Campbell’s concern and her hope of finding a resolution, and she
pointed out that Summit Academy actively tries to make sure the kids understand, respect and honor the police. There are a few steps they take and advice that they give for how to interact. “We do things like the back of their ID cards say, if you are stopped by an officer, politely tell them you are exercising your right to remain silent,” Campbell said. “If you are brought in and they say they are going to arrest you, politely indicate you would like to have your advocate (parent) called.” “We give them clear directions about how to interact with police officers, so they are not presumed to be loud or a danger to officers because the reality is what we see daily is officers who are potentially in fear for their lives and hurting people of color,” Campbell said. In this instance, Campbell now thinks it is difficult to continue to send the message of how to interact with police officers based on how inappropriate the officers acted. “Everything from going up the wrong way on Court Street, to jumping out of an unmarked car and then wondering why children are running,” Campbell said about what happened near the movie theater. “I would run and I’m a grown woman. I don’t know what your intentions are for me so for my safety I’m going to run. Also, having weapons pulled on kids.” The police said one of the children who was in the group on Court Street fit the description for the cell phone robbery, but he was obviously smaller than the individual they were looking for. Campbell was told by multiple people that they were looking for someone who was five-foot-seven or taller, but the child was only five feet. “Did they meet the description or were they a group of children of color who that made them fit the description?” Campbell said. “That is where there is a challenge for me because I
live in Park Slope and that is not how white children are approached.” She has observed white kids smoking weed who, spotted by police, get off with a light verbal warning. On the other hand, in this situation, the children were treated like common criminals. During the Halloween incident, the kids were not arrested for stealing, but there was another charge that was unclear and that officers weren’t able to describe. The official charge turned out to be “obstructing governmental administration.” “My concern is how are we coming into communities of color, how are we approaching children, how are we investigating, and are we going in with preconceived notions about who those children are?” Campbell said. Campbell believes that this incident has had an impact on parents and children in the community for obvious reasons. “As a parent, you do not want to let your child out of your sight now because you do not know when they’ll ‘fit the description,’” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, in the climate we live in, a lot of the time the description is simply that you are black.” Summit’s founder pointed out that not every officer is bad, but that it is not the civilians’ job to figure out who the good ones are and who the racist ones are. She pointed out that it’s necessary to eliminate all things that keep officers from seeing all citizens as citizens. “The department has to acknowledge that there are challenges with race relations,” Campbell said. “It does not stipulate to protect and serve some; you are supposed to protect and serve all.” At a recent meeting of the Red Hook Civic Association, at which Campbell made her feelings known, 76th Precinct Commanding Officer Megan
Natasha Campbell founded Red Hook Summit Academy, a NYC Charter School, in 2009
O’Malley spent a large portion of the meeting vehemently defending the actions of her officers.
"While I am a supporter of law enforcement protecting and serving, I also am very clear that we need to be conscious of the way we approach communities of color."
Post office likely to stay in Industry City
L
ast year, customers at the United States Postal Service’s Bush Terminal Station (900 3rd Avenue) – the only USPS location in northern Sunset Park – learned that their post office would soon close. More recently, however, a group of Sunset Park residents discovered that USPS’s plans may have changed. On August 15, 2018, the Postal Service held a meeting at Community Board 7 to invite public comment on a proposal to move Bush Terminal Station from its space in Industry City – the waterfront complex redeveloped, starting in 2013, by a real estate consortium led by Jamestown Properties – to “a yet-to-be-determined location as close as reasonably possible to the current location.” Subse-
Red Hook Star-Revue
by Brett Yates
quently, USPS posted a public notice in the lobby of 900 3rd Avenue, declaring the decision to relocate “final.” According to the annoucement, the “Postal Service must relocate because its landlord at its current facility will not enter into a new long-term lease.” The notice added that services at Bush Terminal Station would continue “until the replacement facility is open and operating as a Post Office.” USPS has had operations in Industry City – first known as Bush Terminal – since the early 20th century. The community group Protect Sunset Park pressed U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez to intervene and prevent what, according to local activist Jorge Muniz, amounted to a developer’s profit-driven attempt to “evict the federal
government” from an increasingly valuable piece of commercial real estate. At the same time, Industry City was formulating a request to the city for a rezoning that would add more retail businesses and offices to its 35-acre campus, originally built for manufacturing – the latter negotiation remains ongoing. Velázquez inquired into the matter of Industry City and the Postal Service. The congresswoman found that, contrary to USPS’s earlier dispatches, the two parties apparently had found – seemingly at the last moment – a mutually agreeable path forward. “We learned from the community last year that USPS was encountering difficulty renewing their lease at the facility and could be closing,” Velázquez said.
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“Obviously, we found this disturbing. My staff reached out to both USPS and Industry City and since then we have been relieved to find out that the facility will remain open.” USPS expects to confirm the good news in the near future, but per spokesper-
(continued on next page) December 2019, Page 7
POST OFFICE (continued from previous page 221 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231 (212) 739-1736
son Amy Bolger, the lease renewal has not quite been finalized. “However, the Postal Service looks forward to a resolution shortly,” she reported.
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Because the new agreement doesn’t yet bear signatures, Bolger couldn’t offer any details, like the length of the proposed tenancy. But she mentioned a possibility that the prospective lease could restructure Bush Terminal Station as a retail-only location. Currently, 900 3rd Avenue houses not only a counter where customers drop off packages and buy stamps but also, in back, a sortation warehouse where workers load and unload trucks from mail processing plants. As of November 25, USPS appeared to have not yet informed its employees at Bush Terminal Station – who have anticipated its closing for more than a year – that at least some of them will likely stay on at 3rd Avenue. A worker at the customer service window said he hadn’t heard anything new regarding the relocation plan.
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By his account, the dispute between Industry City and USPS owed to the considerable size of the post office – in other words, from the landlord’s perspective, it takes up too much space within a section of the complex that, thanks to Industry City’s reinvention by Jamestown, has become a sought-after destination for shopping and dining. While USPS could probably afford the market rent for a spacious facility on 2nd or 1st Avenue – indeed, it already rents another warehouse at 101 44th Street, nearer to New York Harbor – such a move would inconvenience its customers, who live on the opposite side of I-278. Splitting up Bush Terminal Station’s operations, with a retail counter on 3rd Avenue and loading bays elsewhere, would presumably shrink USPS’s footprint on Industry City’s front end without putting a new burden on Sunset Park residents. USPS itself, it seems, would bear any inefficiency imposed by the arrangement. “We continue to have constructive conversations with USPS and are optimistic there will be a positive outcome,” an Industry City spokesperson stated.
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NYCHA's Robert Tesoriero at a meeting at the Berry Street- South 9th Street NYCHA development. (photo by Brett Yates)
What happens to NYCHA’s hidden tenants under RAD?
A
ccording to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), 6,290 individuals live in the Red Hook Houses, Brooklyn’s largest public housing development. This number accounts for every tenant whose name appears on one of the leases tied to the development’s 2,891 units. On the other hand, the most recent census data, which comes from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS), shows that the Red Hook Houses – which constitute their own census tract – have 7,559 inhabitants. In comparison to NYCHA’s count, this figure represents a jump of 1,269. In all likelihood, however, the ACS also lowballs the real population, as censuses routinely undercount black and Hispanic Americans, poor people, and renters. In 2012, the US Census Bureau estimated that the 2010 Census had omitted 2.1 percent of the nation’s black population, 1.5 percent of the Hispanic population, and 1.1 percent of renters. For decades in New York, rent increases have significantly outpaced income growth, making life especially difficult for the city’s poorest residents, who, facing evictions and a dearth of affordable options for relocation, may move in with friends or relatives. NYCHA has not constructed new units since 1997. “According to NYCHA, its developments have an overall population of about 400,000 residents. The Department of Sanitation estimates the number closer to 600,000, and other estimates go even higher,” NYCHA’s federal monitor, Bart Schwartz, wrote in a July report. In February, HUD regional administrator Lynne Patton drew skepticism when she insisted that, in fact, one million New Yorkers live in the city’s public housing, but NYCHA has long acknowledged a somewhat less extreme discrepancy between reality and the official tally. In other words, some of NYCHA’s apartments are overcrowded, but as the agency struggles to sustain basic services like heat and gas, that may be the least of its problems. Besides, if the city’s landlord of last resort removed its unauthorized residents, where would they go, if not to the Department of Homeless Services? Thanks to Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), a federal program that seeks to shift public housing to private management (and sometimes private ownership) in order to fund repairs without rent hikes, New York may soon begin to find out the answer to that question. RAD – operating locally under the name Permanent Afford-
Red Hook Star-Revue
by Brett Yates
ability Commitment Together (PACT) – has so far effected five conversions of public housing campuses in New York City, with more nearing completion. In the longer term, NYCHA has committed 62,000 units – one third of its housing stock – to partial privatization. The National Housing Law Project has reported that RAD has resulted in evictions owing to illegal rescreenings of authorized residents based on income and credit history. These unlawful evictions represent failures of government oversight, and NYCHA has vowed to protect its RAD tenants in accordance with program regulations. It would not be unlawful, however, for RAD’s private developers to evict unauthorized residents (and the authorized residents who illegally harbor them) from converted NYCHA campuses. Indeed, it looks as though NYCHA may assist them in doing so. The RAD conversion for Williamsburg’s Berry Street-South 9th Street development will take place before the end of the year. On November 20, two developers (Omni New York and Dabar Development Partners, who together will own 50 percent of the campus under RAD), two property management companies (Reliant Realty Services and Progressive Management of NY), and NYCHA held a meeting for Berry Street residents at the Williams Plaza Community Center.
No evictions, except for all the evictions Robert Tesoriero, Director of Inspections and Central Office Operations in NYCHA’s Leased Housing Department, sought to allay the concerns of residents who had heard that RAD could lead to evictions, based on reports pertaining to NYCHA’s first RAD project at the Ocean Bay Apartments in Far Rockaway. While some media focused on the development’s significant capital improvements (in this case funded in large part by Hurricane Sandy recovery money from FEMA), other journalists soon noticed a spike in evictions, including Harry DiPrinzio of City Limits, who found 80 over a 26-month period: twice as many as the next highest NYCHA development on the list. “They reported there were like 50 evictions,” Tesoriero said. “Those evictions – the majority, I’d say a good 90 percent – were because there were unauthorized household members or squatters or licensees or whatever you want to call it, or deceased tenants where there was no next of kin.” Tesoriero urged Berry Street households with multiple family members to
scrutinize their existing leases before the RAD conversion. “At each closing, we’re finding that families have unauthorized occupants in the households. Some of them are legit – they thought they added somebody, they thought management approved it – yet there’s no record showing that. So what I’m asking is to make sure you check with property management that everyone who’s supposed to be on your lease is on your lease. You want property management confirm that, yes, I have three people on my lease, because when we convert, those records are coming over.” RAD terminates NYCHA tenants’ Section 9 public housing leases, requiring them to enter into new contracts with the agency’s Section 8 project-based voucher program. The process functions as an audit of sorts. During the hand-off, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development inspects each unit, while residents resubmit the annual income certifications that determine their rents and confirm the identities of all household members – even providing birth certificates if NYCHA has none on record. If an apartment turns out to have more inhabitants than it should, “we’re going to have questions for you,” Tesoriero warned. “If you don’t report it, it gets messy.” Tesoriero acknowledged that, while NYCHA’s underfunded Section 9 program may not have the resources to hunt down unauthorized tenants, its more robust Section 8 program can and will. “Under Section 8 housing, my department, Leased Housing, has a fraud unit, and the fraud unit does do research on data. We have the means, with HUD, of going through various databases, so if we don’t know now, we’ll eventually find out.” If Leased Housing fails to track down all of Section 8’s unauthorized tenants, RAD’s rightsizing process may serve to evict some of them by default. Following a RAD conversion, tenants who occupy apartments too big for their needs – for example, a single mom whose adult children have moved out of her three-bedroom home – will be moved (whether they like it or not) to more appropriate units. In some cases, their overlarge apartments may house unauthorized residents who will lose their bedrooms as a result. NYCHA’s bureaucracy can create hurdles for tenants who would like to add additional family members to their leases. According to Tesoriero, Section 8 will honor any earnest attempt that Section 9 – if it’d had enough time to process the application – would ulti-
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mately have approved. Other tenants, however, deliberately omit household members so that the additional income doesn’t count toward their rent, and they may face trouble under Section 8.
Who’s allowed to live at NYCHA? But these aren’t the only reasons for unauthorized residents in NYCHA. For instance, parents have seen their children removed from their leases on account of criminal offenses, including marijuana-related misdemeanors. NYCHA’s official policy of Permanent Exclusion applies not only to “major crimes such as murder, sex offenses, robbery, assault, drug dealing, and guns. Other than the limited federal requirements relating to convictions for sex offenses and the production of methamphetamine on public housing grounds, NYCHA is not governed by rigid rules that require it to pursue eviction or exclusion based on the type or level of criminal charge or any specific conduct; rather, NYCHA examines each case individually, including the nature and seriousness of the conduct, the extent of the individuals’ involvement, the danger the individual poses to the NYCHA community, whether there are any serious prior convictions, and whether there is any mitigating evidence.” Permanent Exclusion does not require a criminal conviction or even an arrest. Banned residents can – after a certain period of time or following participation in a rehabilitative program – apply to have their Permanent Exclusion rescinded. Many illicit NYCHA residents, however, were never eligible for authorized tenancy on a permanent basis in the first place. This is true of all who move in with friends or distant family members. NYCHA tenants in good standing can secure permanent occupancy rights – contingent on background checks – for their spouses, domestic partners, children, stepchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents, grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law, and fathers-in-law, as long as doing so wouldn’t bring their household total to more than double the number of bedrooms in their unit. They cannot secure permanent occupancy rights for cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, or foster children. NYCHA does not guarantee succession rights to all authorized permanent occupants. Louis Flores founded Fight for NYCHA, an anti-RAD group. “There
(continued on page 18) December 2019, Page 9
Red Hook kids lead charge to improve link to Carroll Gardens
I
n October, at PS 676, English Language Arts teacher Jen Thomas led her fifth-grade class across the Hamilton Avenue Footbridge, which spans the Gowanus Expressway between Red Hook and Carroll Gardens. Directly on the other side, the students got to take a look at Brooklyn Collaborative, a school for grades six through 12 that some of them may attend next year. The journey was only 0.3 miles, but the kids didn’t like what they saw along the way. The pedestrian overpass – which dangles above four lanes of local traffic, five lanes of cars entering or exiting the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, two off-ramps, and an on-ramp, while also weaving below five lanes of I-278 as it bends into the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway – was in bad shape. “They basically said it was scary and dangerous,” Thomas recalled. “They said, ‘We don’t like this bridge. We don’t want to walk across it. We don’t feel safe.’ I said, ‘What can we do about it?’” The students ended up using their lunch period to collaborate on a letter addressed to Governor Andrew Cuomo and their state assemblyman, Assistant Speaker Félix Ortiz. The kids wrote that the bridge contained “A LOT of trash, like dangerous glass, plastic, empty bottles, dog poop, and even old tires. We noticed that it smelled like rotten eggs.” They also spotted gaps in the concrete safety barrier on either side of the bridge. They declared the disheveled structure “ugly to look at” and “very bad for the environment.” To improve the bridge, they asked for minor structural repairs, a major cleanup, and the installation of public trash cans. “A nice entrance with clear signs and directions would help people know where to go,” they noted, while also speculating that “a clear, plexiglass dome cover” could make the bridge less hazardous during rain or snow. It didn’t take long for Ortiz to show up in Red Hook with New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray. With Thomas’s class, Ortiz and Bray walked across the bridge to examine its problems. “I saw a lot of graffiti and holes the size of a baby! The bridge also shook a lot,” fifth-grader Jing Yu Chen recounted. “If it were fixed, kids could walk across the bridge and feel safe,” Hannah Espinosa added. The NYCDOT communicated the students’ concerns to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), which owns the Hamilton Avenue Footbridge. On November 20, Ortiz brought state officials for another PS 676 field trip, giving the NYSDOT a firsthand look at the problem. This time, local civic leaders John McGettrick and Robert Berrios joined the
Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue
by Brett Yates
students for the walk. “This is what engagement and advocacy are all about,” Ortiz commented. As they crossed the Gowanus Expressway, the kids and adults discussed ideas. Could the brick wall facing Hamilton Avenue on the west side of the bridge become a mural, introducing Carroll Gardens residents to the culture of Red Hook? Could the New York City Department of Environmental Preservation’s fenced-off, overgrown lot at the northeast corner of Hicks and Nelson streets someday turn into a park? What about the underutilized expanse of sidewalk at the other end of the bridge? And could the NYSDOT reposition the bridge’s entrance so that pedestrians wouldn’t have to walk along busy Hamilton Avenue to use it? At the bridge’s midpoint, kids – some of them holding handmade signs (“MAKE OUR FOOTBRIDGE BEAUTIFUL”) – jumped up and down and felt the overpass wobble. Did this hint at structural unsoundness, or were bridges allowed to shake a little? (In 2011, the Hamilton Avenue Footbridge closed for four months as an emergency measure, at which time the NYSDOT added 9,000 pounds of steel reinforcements and replaced much of the concrete.) Over the course of the journey, many cyclists – several of them on fast-moving electric bikes – made their way across the bridge, steering around the pedestrians until the students and their chaperons asked them to dismount. Again, multiple solutions came to mind: a separate, well-marked bike lane if there was
"Principal Priscilla Figueroa underlined the significance of the bridge as a matter of 'diversity and equity.'" enough room for it, or signs instructing cyclists to walk their bikes if not. “We’re just here today listening and observing, but we’ll be getting back to the Assemblyman sooner rather than later,” said George Palermos of the NYSDOT. “Definitely there’s room for improvement, and that’s why we’re here.” Surrounded by water on three sides,
676 students demonstrating for a nicer highway crossing. (photo by Brett Yates)
Red Hook has few points of entry and exit. The importance of the Hamilton Avenue Footbridge – including, even, its cosmetic state – reflects the tenuous connectivity between Brooklyn’s largest public housing complex on one end and the brownstones of Carroll Gardens on the other. With a nicer pedestrian overpass, “maybe people on the other side would even want to come visit our neighborhood or attend our school,” according to PS 676’s letter.
School rezoning a factor
In October, the Department of Education announced that – in order to solicit additional community input – it would delay a proposed rezoning of seven elementary schools in District 15, which encompasses Red Hook. Advocates for PS 676 had protested a plan that, in an effort to relieve overcrowding in certain schools, would shift some of District 15’s internal boundaries but would decline to expand the catchment area for PS 676, which occupies the area’s most underutilized campus. 94 percent of the students at PS 676 are black or Latino. As a means to reduce segregation, administrators at PS 676 would like to see schoolchildren from Carroll Gardens commute across the footbridge, and they believe that the local built environment will play a role – depending on the message it sends – in facilitating or foreclosing an integrated future for their school. Echoing her students, principal Priscilla Figueroa underlined the significance of the bridge as a matter of “diversity and equity.”
classroom-without-walls includes the Columbia Street Farm and the Mary A. Whalen, the historic tugboat at Atlantic Basin. In September, the school supervised the NYCDOT’s installation of a blacktop mural intended to increase street safety at the intersection of Nelson and Columbia, and in the same month, students marched in the Climate Strike at Coffey Park. “For me, education is way more than just ‘Are they meeting the standards?’ – although that’s a big part of it too,” Thomas said. “We’re really trying to work in the community and get the kids plugged in.” PS 676’s Hamilton Avenue Footbridge project hasn’t ended yet. Once the kids have determined exactly how their ideal bridge would look, they’ll create a three-dimensional model to showcase their vision. “We have to do a blueprint first,” Figueroa explained. “We’ll look at it, talk about it, do some research, gather some stats, and then get into the STEAM lab to actually create a model. That’s part of the process. This is the very beginning. This is them saying, ‘There is a problem.’ This could be a yearlong project.”
The decision on the District 15 rezoning will now take place in 2020. In the meantime, PS 676 hopes to show the public – and any skeptical parents – all it can do for its pupils. Upgraded science and technology programming has joined a new emphasis on neighborhood involvement and activism. PS 676’s
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December 2019
Shoji screen printed by Robert Manning (pictured in inset).
He has a better idea for Industry City
R
obert Manning used to be a manufacturer in Sunset Park, and he’d like to be one again. As neighborhood groups fight to preserve and renew Brooklyn’s working waterfront amid a possible rezoning of Industry City, the New York City native hopes to make a case for his own longstanding proposal to create a textile manufacturing hub with the help of City Hall – and now, perhaps, local councilman Carlos Menchaca in particular. An artist, Manning worked in the music and film industries before a friend, David Kushner, introduced him to textiles. Kushner (no relation to President Trump’s son-in-law) belonged to a family whose involvement in the textile industry stretched back to the late 1800s, and he perceived new cause for excitement in the technological developments of the 1990s.
Starting in the 1960s, New York City’s planned deindustrialization had shipped much of its textile work to foreign countries, but the novel industry of digital textile printing appeared to offer a fresh chance for New York to compete in the global economy: relying on cutting-edge machines that had not yet become available in every part of the world, the digital method required less space and less human labor than traditional textile manufacturing. It also used up less material and produced less waste. Manning joined Kushner’s company, where they produced fabrics that – to the amazement even of themselves – faithfully replicated designers’ farflung color schemes and intricate patterns. Their work initially drew the interest of corporate giants like Hewlett-Packard and Kimberly-Clark, but financial backers began to withdraw when they realized that digital textile manufacturing still had a long way to go. “At that time, we were literally printing three yards an hour, and that’s just impossibly slow if you’re trying to actually make a business out of it,” Manning acknowledged. Kushner and Manning invested in research and development and paid for a number of patents. At the same time, they struggled to keep pace with rising rents, which caused them to lose their space on 24th Street in Manhat-
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by Brett Yates
tan. They moved to Industry City, but after Jamestown Properties and other real estate investors bought the complex in 2013, another rent hike sent them packing. They tried a couple more locations, but Kushner’s health started to decline, and the business eventually fell apart. Digital textile printers have improved since their early years and now yield 40 to 50 yards of fabric per hour. Manning would like to get back into the game and has formulated what he regards as a sound business plan for his reentry. But even if all the numbers add up, few investors in New York want to get into textiles. By now, the digital side of the industry, like the analogue, has moved overseas, and perhaps as a result, technological progress – especially in terms of the digital color spectrum – has begun to stall or even retreat. “The Chinese government was subsidizing their digital printing industry, and we were being starved to death,” Manning described. “They were basically doing what they always do, which is copy everyone’s technology, so they weren’t about to be innovating.”
A prosocial endeavor According to Manning, New York City could, with the backing of Mayor de Blasio, reclaim the vanguard of the textile industry – and to do so would bolster the city’s longtime position as a worldwide leader in fashion and the arts, since textile manufacturers can play an integral, symbiotic role in these industries as well. Throw pillows and runway gowns both begin as ideas; textile printers turn them into real life. “You can upload an image and get it printed in China, but it’s not the same thing as having people coming by – there’s a real value to having something local, and a lot of the fashion designers would agree with that,” Manning asserted. “You want to be able to see the tests and samples that you’ve printed and do the back-andforth and finally arrive on the colors and patterns and the fabrics.” Manning, who lives in Sunset Park, has long hoped to see the city partner with a developer to build subsidized space for the local textile industry. He
believes that his own operation could sustain itself without public handouts – that is, given the chance, it would offer sufficient returns to make private capital happy – but a discounted rent would lower his costs and make his business plan more attractive to investors who haven’t considered the profit potential of domestic textiles in a long time. It would also allow him to adopt a less strictly revenue-focused approach and to think more about expanding the artistic possibilities of digital textile printing. In his view, the city should fund a textile incubator that would co-locate seamsters, weavers, and embroiderers with printers, designers, and research-and-development firms. Manning envisions a creative ecosystem that would amount to more than the sum of its parts and would serve as a resource not only for local fashion houses and merchants but also for artists, photographers, interior decorators, students at FIT and Pratt, and younger schoolchildren who could witness advanced manufacturing in their own backyard. “There’s all this creative energy that needs to be tapped into,” Manning enthused. “It’s educational – there’s so much to learn right there where the printhead meets the fabric.” In his view, the color management software designed by Manning’s former team for digital printing remains highly useful and novel, and he’d love to see what local kids could do with it as schools in the area embrace STEAM programming. In 2017, de Blasio announced that the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) would spend $136 million to redevelop a section of Bush Terminal in Sunset Park. Branded the “Made in NY” campus, it will function as a hub for TV and film production as well as garment manufacturing. Manning is watching the development with interest, but no one at the EDC has yet said anything about textile production on the site.
Paging Andrew Kimball In September, Sunset Park’s councilman, Carlos Menchaca, weighed in on the proposed rezoning of the adjacent Industry City. He rejected Jamestown’s plan to build hotels on the site,
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but he said he’d allow a bonus on retail space if, among other conditions, Industry City agreed to allot an unspecified square footage to a nonprofit that would offer subleases to small manufacturers at affordable rates. The fate of Industry City’s rezoning remains up in the air, but Manning believes that his textile incubator would be a perfect fit for Menchaca’s imagined arrangement. He met with the councilman in November to discuss the matter. His own digital textile printing business wouldn’t offer as many jobs as old-school textile manufacturing did, but some hiring would take place, and the modern process doesn’t have nearly as many environmental drawbacks. That’s especially true of Manning’s own methods, which make use of “historical dyes” that “go back hundreds of years. They’re water-soluble. They’re not like what most of the digital printing in the US is, which is pigment inks, dye sublimation – that stuff’s much more toxic.” In the past, Manning has printed everything from art museum installations to promotional banners. For the 2008 presidential inauguration, the Obama team commissioned him to print a commemorative scarf. “The thing that’s exciting and intriguing about this is that it’s not tied into the apparel industry. People always kind of think in those terms – they’re fixated on saving the Garment District. And my focus has been on the broader umbrella of textiles. Apparel fits into that, but there are a lot of other categories,” he explained. In late October, Industry City officially submitted its rezoning application for certification by the Department of City Planning, triggering the seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). Unless Menchaca can secure a stakeholder-approved community benefits agreement before the end of the public process, he will, by his own account, vote no on the proposal. Until then, manufacturing advocates will continue their efforts to turn a possibility feared by much of blue-collar Sunset Park to their advantage. Manning’s plan is sure to be one of several that will vie for the city’s and neighborhood’s attention.
December 2019, Page 11
Will the student debt crisis be the next recession?
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By Roderick Thomas
he topic of student debt is often a confusing and uncomfortable one, with no immediate or foreseeable solutions. For most folks, discussing lingering student loan debt can feel pointless. While there is a general understanding that the current system isn’t beneficial or sustainable, there appears to be little to no reformative action, or outrage from legislators – or, to some extent, even the public. So, how did we get here?
Our resources are finite and hypercapitalism doesn’t give a damn.
Currently, the national student debt is around $1.5 trillion, shared among 44 million borrowers, and is rising at a rate of nearly $3,000 per second. The average cost of yearly tuition at public state colleges is around $10,000 for instate residents, and more than double that for students from other states. For private institutions, the average yearly tuition at a four-year college is slightly under $50,000.
Since the 1980s, the cost of education has more than doubled and risen far beyond the rate of inflation, but why? Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a clear cut answer. In part, the influx of students with loans means more money for university administrative services, new college facilities and to be honest what seems to be unknown expenditures. Interestingly, the marginal increases in pay for teachers can’t account for the explosion in costs of education.
Initially (circa 1965), student loan programs were intended to function as a way to increase the population of educated Americans, thus creating a more competitive nation, especially in technological innovation. Unfortunately, the classist barriers to higher education in the U.S. and the culture of uncontrolled capitalism quickly poisoned any noble intentions of funding higher education. The result was a more college-educated populace, but with more lifelong debt. The recent college bribery scandals that led to the indictments of actresses Felicity Huffman, and Lori Loughlin, as well as others, exemplify the classist culture around education in the United States. The actresses provided monetary donations to have their teenage children unfairly admitted into prestigious institutions. Like the prison business, academic enterprises, formerly known as Colleges and Universities, are the unfortunate outcomes of unchecked capitalism. Hyper-capitalism is an insatiable beast that is never rich enough, never has enough property, supplies, subscribers, students, etc.
Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue
I remember being a senior in high school, listening to visiting college recruiters skim over the realities of student loans. Teaching students the realities of working a full-time job, while trying to be a fulfilled human being with debt, didn’t seem to be a priority. Schools are funded and incentivized primarily through enrollment and graduation rates. Simply put, higher education is a business.
To make matters worse, over the years, certain protections and aid that were put in place to help alleviate the debt burden have in essence, vanished. The Pell Grant, introduced by Senator Claiborne Pell, bankruptcy, hardship declaration and student loan forgiveness are all not very effective at this point. The maximum Federal Pell Grant, which at one point paid 90 percent of tuition, now covers a bit over 15 percent on average. Bankruptcy, which used to be an uneasy but viable route for borrowers, is no longer a legal option. With regard to any declaration of hardship, the barriers to being recognized as a hardship candidate can be daunting, with some borrowers suffering from severe illnesses unable to secure hardship relief. And yet there seems to be no real push by the government to curtail and correct the issue. Moreover, if we open up the discussion of student debt and its effects on various demographics, we see inequality at the intersections of several isms: capitalism, racism, classism,
sexism. Black borrowers and other marginalized groups who tend to borrow at higher rates, experience greater difficulty in securing well-paying jobs and paying off debts. The most notable push back to the growing debt problem has come from two sources. First, 2011’s now-extinct Occupy Student Debt Movement, which called for (among other things) free public education, zero-interest student loans, and current debt elimination. Second, unactualized promises from political figures running for president. The assumption would be that, the United States’ position as a global power would create a much stronger and more efficient education system – well, not if the desire for financial gain is the beating heart of national systems, which are fundamental to a healthy society. In the upcoming 2020 presidential election, student debt has been prioritized by only a few candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Despite the growing crisis, it’s still not a marquee topic. Other countries, like Germany for example, have managed to create tuition-free institutions, and produce a highly educated population. Education should not be rooted so deeply in for-profit agendas, and it doesn’t have to be. Nevertheless, public outrage hasn’t reached its boiling point. In America, we’ve been conditioned to hopelessly shackle ourselves to debt in order to be educated. The current student debt problem bears an uncanny resemblance to 2008’s debt crisis, where borrowers were unable to pay mortgage loans and defaulted. Similarly in the student debt crisis, most students are not in repayment, with the largest group of those not paying back loans and defaulting (according to the US Department of Education). And while not being able to file for bankruptcy offers protection for the federal government and lenders, creating a nation of debt zombies isn’t an investment.
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"In America, we’ve been conditioned to hopelessly shackle ourselves to debt in order to be educated."
December 2019
Short Takes but a program that will take place at Green-Wood Cemetery on December 10 from 6:30 to 8 pm aims to help.
CGA turkeys
State troopers delivered turkeys and other goodies for tenants of 722 Henry Street, a low-income building managed by the Carroll Gardens Association. The turkey donation was made on behalf of the Joseph Giamboi III Foundation (in memory of CGA board chairperson Eva Giamboi’s son).
Problem solver Uma Smith has created a lifesaving invention that has won the 2019 James Dyson Award. Smith is a Brooklynite and a recent graduate of Pratt Institute. Her invention, called the Cocoon, is awaiting FDA approval and has the potential to be a lifesaver. Dyson is a British inventor whose first problem-solving breakthrough was the bagless vacuum cleaner. He was attempting to solve the problem of his bagged vacuum cleaner’s diminishing performance. His invention changed the industry. He created the annual award competition to reward inventors who similarly solve problems. Smith has suffered from epileptic seizures, and the experience inspired her invention, which provides sufferers with needed tools. She has had to go to the hospital four times – three times when she was away from a safe place and caretakers – due to epilepsy and was inspired to create something that might provide relief for others who have suffered similar circumstances. “The Cocoon gives people the power to go out in public and do whatever you want without feeling the restriction of being worried about having a seizure and your caretaker might not be around or not having a safe space,” a Dyson spokesperson said.
Coat drive at the Rec Center
The Red Hook Recreation Center (155 Bay Street) has been collecting coats so that individuals in need will be able to keep warm during the cold weather. Anyone who is in need is invited to check out what the jackets that are available at the Recreation Center. The giveaway will take place on Saturday, December 7, from 11 am to 3 pm.
Death educator Amy Cunningham will lead a free program about unique keepsakes and tributes that can be created in a loved one’s honor. They could come in the form of textiles, artwork, charitable donations or rituals at the dinner table. Cunningham will explore how digital platforms can provide an ideal space for sharing stories and memories that are easily accessible in the Internet. This event will help you discover what might feel right for you and your family.
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This program at Green-Wood (25th Street at 5th Avenue) will take place in their Modern Chapel that is just to the right after passing through the Gothic Arches at the main entrance.
Local businesses fund Rotary Club project
On Sunday October 27, the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club packaged 10,044 fortified meals of rice and beans at Brooklyn College. Assisted by Girl Scout Troops 2372, 2370, and 2376 and the Brooklyn College Rotaract Club, 40 volunteers spent three hours measuring, weighing, bagging, sealing and boxing the meals, which were then shipped to the Rotary Club of East Nassau in the Bahamas. Making the entire humanitarian project possible were these Brooklyn businesses who sponsored the event: Ace Workforce Technologies, Avanzino & Moreno PC, Body Elite Gym, Brooklyn Heights Real Estate, Green Sky Bookkeeping Inc, HealthPass, Jeannie Jackson Strategies For Wealth, and Tucciarone & Dimilia. The Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club members are local professionals who meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays each month for networking and fellowship and to do charitable projects that benefit the local community as well as the world.
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Neighborhood theater
Park Slope’s Gallery Players will present Little Women. It opens Friday, December 6, and runs for 15 performances through Sunday, December 22. This story is about coming into one’s own sense of self. This production is filled with colorful characters, lush music, glorious costumes and nostalgia for a beloved story and is a perfect musical for the holiday season. Gallery Players, 199 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
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Cemetery discussion on grief
230 PARK AVE
New York NY
The holidays are a difficult time for family and friends of departed loved ones. Grief can intensify at end of year,
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December 2019, Page 13
Clinton Street stores to reopen on Columbia by Brett Yates
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YCHA will soon demolish a row of shuttered storefronts on the west side of Clinton Street between Hamilton Avenue and Mill Street. Three evicted businesses – Frankie’s First Stop Deli, the Red Hook Pharmacy, and Smart Tax – will relocate to a newly rehabilitated structure, also owned by NYCHA, at the corner of Columbia Street and West 9th Street. The commercial building on Clinton Street will make way for a new power plant that will provide heat and electricity to the entire Red Hook Houses development. The construction will take place as part of the $550 million Sandy Recovery and Resiliency project funded by FEMA, projected to finish in 2022. Conceptual renderings for the future East Plant show possible ground-floor retail below a vast system of boilers and generators. The official move-out deadline is
December 12, but store owners, who have known about the plan for months or longer, appear to have cleared out already. Dave Stahl, NYCHA’s construction site director in Red Hook, stated that a “full asbestos inspection” will promptly follow, and his team will then knock the building down over the course of two or three weeks, starting in January. Awaiting repairs, the commercial structure on Columbia Street sat vacant for about a decade before their recent completion, during which time the shops on Clinton Street served as the only open stores within the Red Hook Houses campus. The pharmacy’s reopening date is unknown, but Smart Tax expects to return with a fully functioning office before Christmas. The deli may take longer, as it will need to secure new permits for its cooking equipment, according to NYCHA. For now, the area surrounding the Red Hook Houses has become
NYCHA retail buildings, old and new. (photos by Brett Yates)
something of a retail desert, thanks in large part to private redevelopment plans on Lorraine Street that led to
the closing of a laundromat, a 99-cent store, and the neighborhood’s only bank over the summer.
The Nets have brought back New York basketball
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an you believe it’s been 20 years since there’s been an NBA Finals in New York City? The 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs, headlined by Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, was the last time there was relevant basketball in The Mecca. For the past two decades – filled with nothing but disappointment, from ownership issues to a long list of draft busts, and even the addition of a second team to the five boroughs – basketball in New York City just hasn’t been the same. Now, the Nets are changing that narrative after the most successful summer in franchise history. The lack of stars has been at the forefront of issues for New York basketball, with both the Knicks and Nets having made failed attempts to bring the star to the city. Big names like Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce had disappointing, post-prime stints. The narrative of true stars not wanting to come to New York seemed neverending, until Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving gave New York a summer to remember. In late June of 2019, 10-time All-Star Kevin Durant made the decision to join six-time All-Star Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, sparking a new era in New York basketball. Unlike the Billy King and Phil Jackson moves of the past, this delivered a real buzz around Brooklyn, one that brings title aspirations to a city that is in desperate need
Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue
By Will Jackson of a championship parade. Since joining his childhood team, Kyrie Irving has put up MVP-caliber numbers in the first month of the season, despite battling a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, Nets fans will have to wait until 2020 to see Kevin Durant on the court, as he recovers from an Achilles injury suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. However, that isn’t stopping Nets fans from getting excited for what’s to come. Attendance for Nets home games is up from 84 percent last season to 92 percent this year, and merchandise sales are through the roof. The media is now putting a lens on Brooklyn, more than doubling its nationally televised games from last season. Barclays Center has quickly turned into the place to be, with a Chick Fil-A and Insomnia Cookies opening across the street last month. New York City is transitioning from being a blue and orange town to black and white. As for the actual basketball side of things, the Nets are exactly where people expected them to be without Kevin Durant: at or above .500, in the middle of the playoff race with lower expectations until Durant returns. The Nets have brought back New York basketball: game-winners, three-pointers, alley-oops, dunks and crisp passing. Brooklyn is now a mustwatch team, so if you’ve been in and out of the basketball scene since Ewing left, head to Barclays Center and catch what Sports Illustrated called “the coolest team in basketball.”
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December 2019
Dustin Yellin in a 2012 photo taken at Pioneer Works. (Star-Revue file photo)
Dustin Yellin's life is an adventure Interview by John Buchanan Dustin Yellin is one of Red Hook's bigger celebrities. In addition to being a world-class artist, he runs Pioneer Works, which has become a Red Hook institution known for avant garde
I think about civilization as a sculpture and I think about civilization as a hallucination and I think about how all that we experience and all that we know is inventive and is just some sort of perceptual reality. JB: Where are you from? DY: I was born in Santa Monica California, in 1975, and I grew up in Telluride, Colorado. JB: When did you start doing art?
performances and also a place for integrated artist residencies. Local artist John Buchanan spent an afternoon with Dustin recently. John Buchanan (JB): What’s the genesis of your work? Dustin Yellin (DY): The works in this building are of the three hands: the Descriptive, the Prescriptive, and the Impossible. The Descriptive being how do you use different mediums to tell stories, narrative stories, and that’s what you see happening in the Politics of Eternity and in the psychogeographies and the different bodies that are inhabiting this building. Pioneer Works is an institution and a social project as a Prescriptive measure to use culture and science as part of culture to bring people together to create systemic change and to rethink systems. And then the Impossible, which is a project I’m working on called The Bridge, which is to build a monument to the end of fossil fuels but with a supertanker on its nose. So that’s kind of the practice right now. But at this point I think very much about Joseph Beuys and
DY: As a kid. I was inspired by nature and by assemblage. Stacking rocks and sticks, and more again of perception, of seeing my external world, geology, as art, seeing everything as art in my teens. And then I got obsessed with science and I also got obsessed with climate, very much obsessed with this idea that our species was headed down a trajectory that was seemingly untenable, which seems to be very much the zeitgeist right now and the picture we have created for ourselves. My end vision is Neverending. JB: What brought you to Red Hook? You used to have a place up on Imlay when I lived on Van Brunt.
DY: I was very much a late bloomer. My parents were amazing but I wasn’t very cultured. In my late teens I met a physicist. He really was one of the first people to point to a bunch of cultural lighthouses that kind of turned me on. And then, coming to New York City at 19 I again met a bunch of other people. I really learned from my friends and the people around me. I got to make it as an artist and if I make it as an artist I’m going to get a voice and if I get a voice I’m going to build a table and at the table I’m going to put the greatest scientists in the world and I’m going to put the greatest philanthropists and the greatest thinkers and they’re all going to work together to build a better world. So it was a very, very idealistic, utopian, and ambitious sort of dreamlike state at 19. JB: Where did you live at 19? DY: In 1994 I rented a little tiny room on Crosby Street in Manhattan. I used part of the apartment to work, then I got another studio with friends in Chelsea. This is way back before Chelsea was Chelsea.
JB: Who were your influences?
JB: So you had this vision or this idea you wanted to build. Did you have this big idea at the beginning?
DY: Nikola Tesla, Buckminster Fuller. I mean really early on but over the years, you know, Joseph Cornell, a lot of my friends, younger artists. Werner Herzog, Pablo Neruda, Rilke and Frank O’Hara, Emily Dickinson. So really across different mediums. It wasn’t just this small group of
JB: What kind of work were you doing? DY: Crazy, weird paintings and drawings and collages. Rauschenberg and Schwitters were influencial
DY: Pioneer Works, you mean? JB: Yes. For building a platform of all these philosophers and –
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“Once a tough, gang-infested South Brooklyn neighborhood and home of legendary crime boss Al Capone, Red Hook has ascended to expensive cool. Along with art galleries, restaurants and funky bars, you also have great shopping. Red Hook has welcomed popular sprawling Fairway Market on Van Brunt as a keystone in its redevelopment and nearby IKEA is busy all day long.”
- FOCUSING ON TASTE, QUALITY, CRAFT AND FUN! -
357 Van Brunt
JB: How did your upbringing introduce you to these people?
DY: I came to Red Hook with a mentor of mine, Tony… year 2000, I think, was the first time and I loved it. But then didn’t come back for a few years. I always was captivated by its relationship to the water. I just love the water and I was always crazy about it with a sort of small-town feel, almost like an old Western, the one-lane town and very much not a big city.
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December 2019, Page 15
A talk with Pioneer Works' Dustin Yellin
(continued from previous page)
DY: Yeah. There was definitely the germination and even a document in like ‘97 or ‘96, early on. JB: Something you wrote. DY: Yeah. And I wrote it with a friend of mine who’s no longer here. We were in our early 20’s. JB: You laid out a blueprint. How did it develop since Crosby Street to Chelsea? DY: It evolved. JB: How did it do that? DY: Super organically, supernaturally, and super. I think by the time it was coming to life in the current form I had tilled the soil with lots of relationships. There were many people at the meta-table, if you will, to help build it with me. Gabriel Florenz, the artistic drafter, and Matthew Putman, early board members, Janna Levin, who runs our science program. More and more people just showed up at the table which helped it to really bloom. JB: What attracted them, do you think? DY: I think everyone wants to build the world they want to live in. JB: When I first sort of came across you, you were showing your book. I thought there’s a lot of hallucinogenic vision being presented idea-wise. I guess I’m asking how did they (hallucinogens) influence you, give you vision? DY: Yeah, I had many, many, many visions. I think it’s really great that all these different avenues for opening up the mind and for dealing with different ailments and different approaches are being embraced more now. Perhaps they were 40, 50 years ago and now again. JB: How do you think that influenced your work? DY: Greatly. JB: How so? DY: I think it helped, you know, as Huxley said, open the doors of perception and potentially shift the lens in which I experienced the world. So, you know, I think everybody has their own road to walk down. When I was young I was exposed to these things and I think they really helped shifted my consciousness and my ideas and also potentially give me an elevated sense of what was possible, maybe even to the point of delusions of grandeur. But then, those delusions of grandeur potentially didn’t manifest. JB: You are manifesting them. Right? That takes work. DY: It’s taken 25 years of solid work and even now I work pretty much seven days a week and always working and it’s very intense. I haven’t had a family. I haven’t done much else but work. JB: How old are you? DY: 44 DY: I think of my sculpture almost as frozen movies. My process is extraordinarily slow. So even though it feels like a pretty big studio and there’s a bunch of people working, that piece took two years. JB: It’s pretty involved. DY: So you can imagine, in three months, not much happens because it’s so slow. But I’m in my mind a lot, like a lot of the work I do is ideation, you know. I’m thinking about what is going to be the narrative in the next work or how do I knit together five previous works. What is the work saying about climate, which is something I’m thinking about a lot right now. Have you read The Uninhabitable Earth yet? You should read that book. It’s a neat book. Oh, there is one tonight, too. Gary Marcus on “Minds and Machines.” JB: So how do you meet all these people?
Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue
DY: We have a programming team. I meet them when they show up. I mean, specific to science, that’s Janna Levin. JB: People go out and make contact. DY: Well, Janna, our director of science. She’s an incredible – Janna Levin, an astrophysicist. She’s our director of science. She’s tenured up at Columbia. JB: What are you thinking of, how it’s going to tie with other things? DY: I’m thinking right now. I think a lot about the state of our species. What is the state of our species? The many existential threats, specifically around warming. So how does warming affect migration? How does migration affect life? Where does fresh water play into that? Where do fossil fuels play into that? Where does capitalism play into that? Where does Ceremony to Build a Rocket on Floating Disc, 2017 disease play into that? What does it look like if parts of the earth are get away from the elitism of the market and give uninhabitable because of warming? What does it look like when many, many cities that access to all these things? How do we make science part of culture and not in a vacuum behind closed we live in now are not livable in a hundred years? doors in academia? What does a hundred years look like? How does that affect our species? What does it look like with JB: Do you have a spiritual aspect to Pioneer Works? artificial intelligence and machine learning? DY: A spiritual aspect? What does it look like for modalities of meaning making if we go from an economy of scarcity to an economy of excess? Should there be a universal basic income? Should there not? How would that work? Do we need to build new systems to govern? What is tribalism versus globalism? These are the things I’m thinking about. JB: How does Pioneer Works factor into your artwork? Is it like a stage almost? DY: No. As you probably know, I don’t show these artworks at Pioneer Works. So Pioneer Works in itself is a work and my obsolescence is my success in the work of Pioneer Works. My obsolescence is its success. If Pioneer Works can thrive without me, then that work is a good work. JB: So how’s it going? DY: It’s getting better and better. Lots to do, still. JB: So how’s it going to get better today? What little increments might take place today? DY: You know, I don’t know because I haven’t looked at the calendar. Every little tweak and turn of the knob, meeting with someone, a thousand people showing up today for a science talk. You know what I mean? We have a board meeting tomorrow. There’s always stuff happening. JB: It’s like recording you and your progress. DY: Not me. Other people. Pioneer Works is its own thing. This is my baby but Pioneer Works isn’t about me. Pioneer Works is about rethinking how cultural production and learning and reimagining the commons and building community and access and all these things happen inside of a city. JB: And Pioneer Works is like a micro city within a bigger city? DY: No, not a micro city. No, I’m just saying rethinking the commons. What in the 21st century is a community center? What in the 21st century is a school or a museum? How do we bring scientists and artists and engineers and architects and film makers and writers to think together? How do we
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JB: Scientific and spiritualism. DY: For me, they’re all the same. I really believe they’re the same. I don’t separate these things. JB: Well, give me an example of what a school is today and your idea? What’s your idea of a school? DY: Pioneer Works. I mean that’s my idea. How do you bring in people to teach, bring in people to work, make sure the public can come in and get access to it? How do you break down these silos and how do you breed critical thinking by getting people to learn from each other and exchange ideas? JB: You’ve been successful with that. I guess I’m digging a little bit. How does that happen? DY: Well, I mean I don’t know how it happens. It happens over time, lots and lots of time, and people. People are the key. If you put incredible people together incredible things happen. JB: Well, you’ve been successful at that. Who have been some of the artists and speaker that have mostly influenced Pioneer Works? DY: It’s such a long list. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Like I said Gabriel and Janna and the leadership teams who work at Pioneer Works and helped build it. But the board of directors who help support it. You know what I mean? All the incredible residents and artists and writers and musicians and thinkers who have been part of its genesis. Yeah, everyone. JB: Is there anything you’d like to say to your Red Hook neighbors? DY: I hope that Red Hook, it’s such a small village, that I hope everyone in Red Hook can come together more and communicate more to try to build the village that we all want to live in. So I would say Red Hook has a great opportunity in its scale to really together envision what it wants to be the next decade. JB: Thanks. DY: It’s a pleasure.
December 2019
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Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019, Page 17
PAVE goes to camp
auditing people and their fraud unit is moving to evict people just because they have ‘unauthorized occupants,’ it seems to me unjust because there may be medical reasons or financial reasons why people have to double up or triple up.”
by Maren Morsch
Nearly 60 eighth-graders from Red Hook’s PAVE Academy charter school traveled to Warren County, New Jersey, to spend three days on the campus of the Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) last month. There, the scholars participated in tailored programming designed to increase community bonding and foster teamwork and communication skills. “We hoped our students would have a stronger sense of community after this trip. They have been together since kindergarten, and we wanted to take a moment out of our normal setting and reestablish the cohort as a team,” said Kara Reilly, PAVE Academy’s Middle School Dean of Humanities. Daily activities included adventure course and high ropes challenges, hikes, community meals, reflections, and discussions led by PBC facilitators, who helped students process what they learned through each experience. Discussing his experience of the group’s progress, Wilson recalled a moment that stood out for him. “At one of the high rope elements, one of the students in my group was up in the air for a while, about 40 minutes. Although he was really struggling,
his group never once complained about how cold it was outside, or said anything negative about his effort, or about wanting to leave. They just stayed there, supporting him and cheering him on, like he had done for them during their turns.”
Flores shared an example: “We know of a case in Queens where there was a man who had severe medical problems, so much so that he couldn’t take care of himself, so his sister had to move in. Even though she tried to
get on the lease, NYCHA refused to let her get on the lease, and when her brother died, NYCHA moved to evict her.” The activist hopes to persuade NYCHA tenants of the dangers of RAD. “NYCHA comes and says, ‘We’re going to make these changes, and don’t worry.’ And then once all the damage is done, you find out that people were placed in danger because of the evictions that eventually come about as a result of the changes that NYCHA says
Hot Bagels vandalized
Reilly corroborated the students’ progress, noting that “We encouraged [scholars] to listen to teachers, but also to each other, and have already observed a shift in listening in the days since we returned.”
RAD
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are a lot of people who are seniors and retirees who live at NYCHA, and a lot of people have medical difficulties. They may have a relative or a friend living with them to provide them with care, so if people are being found to have an extra roommate, it could be because they’re actually a caregiver,” he said. “So if NYCHA is
Sometime over Thanksgiving weekend, thieves tore out the sidewalk ATM machine from the bagel shop at 350 Van Brunt. (special thanks to reader Gardiner Anderson who sent us this photo)
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Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019
Mother Cabrini How 2019 became the year of Mother Cabrini
M
by Erin DeGregorio
onuments have become big newsmakers this past decade. Civil War statues honoring racists and bigots have been forced to either relocate or die. Perhaps the monument movement began in the previous decade when patriotic Americans felt a Bush rush when a Saddam Hussein statue was felled in Baghdad after the man himself fell. In 2018, it was belatedly discovered that women were underrepresented in NYC monument hagiography to the tune of 150 to five.
“Tom took the fall because the mayor was so upset about Cabrini that he thought DCLA should have figured this out in a way that didn’t expose him and Chirlane to criticism,” one source said, using the acronym for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs. “They screwed it up,” the source said, referring to de Blasio and McCray. “Now they’re getting beat up every day and Tom had to take the fall for it.” “[The nomination] had much less to do with her religious zeal and much more to do with her social work. She was someone who was constantly building, growing and trying to meet the needs of people, no matter who they were,” said John L. Heyer II, Carroll Gardens' Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen’s pastoral associate. “[Mother Cabrini] believed in prison reform and helping prisoners, in providing health care and medical care to everyone – regardless of their ability to pay – and in helping immigrants acclimate to their new country.”
The result of this mismatch was the She Built NYC public arts campaign. Launched by the mayor's wife Chirlane McCray and former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, it is meant to fix the discrepancy by building statues of worthy women. The campaign is intended to slowly but surely fill the gap by installing more women statues throughout the five boroughs. “Public monuments should tell the full history and inspire us to realize our potential – not ques-tion our worth,” McCray said earlier this year. A public call for nominations, via online forms, took place between June 20 and August 1, 2018, with residents submitting their suggestions for women or events in women’s history that should be considered for future commemorations. More than 2,000 nominations for over 320 women were collected. Following the open call, an advisory committee reviewed the nominations. The City used the recommendations as well as other factors such as location, diverse representation, existing publicly accessible monuments and site feasibility.
First round of nominations On March 6, 2019 it was announced that the first four monuments would be built in honor of jazz legend Billie Holiday (Queens), desegregation activist Elizabeth Jennings Graham (Manhattan), women’s rights activist Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trías (Bronx) and Robbins Reef Lighthouse keeper Katherine Walker (Staten Island). They joined Rep. Shirley Chisholm – the first African American woman to serve in Congress and the first Afri-can American woman to campaign for the Demo-cratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States – who had already been designated in November 2018 to have a monument built at the Parkside entrance of Prospect Park. It was also decided that statues for LGBTQ advocates Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera would be installed near the Stonewall Inn. “When we launched She Built NYC, we promised this would not be a ‘one and done,’” former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said on March 6. “Today’s announcement marks real action by the City of New York to ensure that our public realm exemplifies the diverse and accomplished women who make this city so great.” The actual result of the public voting told another story. According to She Built NYC records, Saint
Many were happy to hear that Cabrini had received the most nominations, but were disheartened that a statue wouldn’t be erected for her when it was first announced. Laura Eng, a lifelong parishioner at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen’s, nominated Cabrini partly because the saint was always in her life growing up. Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini received the most nominations – a landslide 219 with urban writer and activist Jane Jacobs’s 93 nominations in second place. In descending order of the chosen women (based on number of nominations received), Chisholm had 91; Walker had 68; Johnson had 65; Rivera had 21; Graham had 17; Holiday had 16; and Trías had 7.
“My grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles always had a great reverence and love for Mother Cabrini, and that trickled down to my generation,” Eng said. “I wasn’t alive when she was here, but I did benefit from her because I was educated in a school taught by her Sisters [Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School]. Many people benefited from her in the later generations [too].”
She Built NYC says that the voting result “re-mains active and may be drawn from in pursuing future monuments – both publicly- and privately- funded.” The next time another public nomination period opens again is on or before June 2020. The nomination form will be reopened at least once every five years so that new names can be added for consideration.
Eng acknowledged that this wasn’t a contest, but wrote an email to She Built NYC to express her disappointment. She also asked for an explanation as to why Cabrini was overlooked. “Something that was supposed to be so positive to all women and men of this great city has left many of feel-ing very upset and disenfranchised,” she wrote to them.
Those who helped nominate Cabrini to the top Some parishioners and staff members from St. Frances Cabrini Parish (Dyker Heights) and Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Parish (Carroll Gardens) immediately protested. Cabrini, who emigrated from Italy in 1898 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1909, is most known for being the patroness of immigrants. A public hue and cry ensued, with the the head of Cultural Affairs for NYC losing his job over it. The New York Post reported: As "De Blasio claimed on WNYC radio Friday that Tom Finkelpearl’s exit from his $221,151-ayear job heading the Department of Cultural Affairs, “had nothing to do with” the controversy over reported by the New York Post: the ItalianAmerican icon, but sources told The Post that’s patently false.
The She Built NYC team responded to Eng, say-ing that, while they appreciated the passion and enthusiasm, New York City already has a shrine (in Washington Heights), a street and parkland named in her honor. They also reiterated that this was an ongoing process and that Cabrini would still be part of their active list that they would look to in pursuing future monuments. Other people sent letters to McCray and to the Commissioner charged with the matter of City statues, according to Joseph Sciame, president of the Sons of Italy Foundation. He told us that he personally spoke with Mayor Bill de Blasio on October 11, who had assured him that a second round for future statues would be held and that Cabrini would top the list. “But when advised to do so immediately, he procrastinated,” Sciame said. “There
(continued on next page)
“The failure to honor Mother Cabrini with a public statue would be an affront to many New Yorkers, especially Italian-Americans, who see her as most deserving,” Bishop DiMarzio said. Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019, Page 19
Mother Cabrini Mother Cabrini causes controversy in 2019
(continued)
was no reason to wait, for Mother Cabrini had received the highest number of votes in the poll.” Fundraising campaign A religious procession to honor Mother Cabrini, in conjunction with the annual Mass of the Italian Apostolate of the Diocese of Brooklyn, was organized two months ago. Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, and the Italian Apostolate of the Diocese of Brooklyn, hosted the procession and Mass in Carroll Gardens on October 6. They also announced a fundraising campaign had been established and launched (in September by the Italian Apostolate of the Diocese of Brooklyn) for the construction of a public Mother Cabrini statue. “The failure to honor Mother Cabrini with a public statue would be an affront to many New Yorkers, especially Italian-Americans, who see her as most deserving,” DiMarzio said. DiMarzio led the procession from Mother Cabrini Park to Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church, where Mass was held afterward. The procession and the Mass – which usually garners 400 attendees every year – resulted in more than twelve hundred people coming instead, according to Heyer. DiMarzio, in his homily, elaborated on how Cabrini would probably say she doesn’t need any accolades, but that it’s important for people to remember her. Eng added that the homily also focused on the importance of Cabrini’s mission and encouraged the congregation to help those in need of assistance. As reported by Patch, a group of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart also came, including Sister An-tonina Avitable and Sister Bernadette Anello. They were born and raised in the neighborhood and had taught at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School. Sister Bernadette, who was Eng’s fifth-grade teacher, felt that the procession and Mass were a “positive response” to She Built NYC’s decisions.
Columbus Day parade float Nearly a week after the procession and Mass, the Diocese of Brooklyn revealed that their NYC Colum-bus Day Parade float this year would feature a Cabrini statue. Since Cabrini was an Italian immigrant herself, it seemed appropriate to have her statue on display. Roman Catholic parishioners from throughout the diocese got involved and marched on the street, holding a large banner that said “Join us in Honor-ing Mother Cabrini at CFBQ. org/CabriniStatue.” Behind them, DiMarzio and a group of students from different academies rode on
Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue
The Mother Cabrini float at this year's Columbus Day Parade.
the float and waved Italian flags. “People were walking in the streets in honor of her. . . . It was kind of the will of the people that something be done,” Heyer commented. Partly as a way to stick it to the mayor and his wife, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced, on the same day of the parade, his support for a new memorial to honor Cabrini and that a State Commission would work with the Columbus Citizens Foundation, the Diocese of Brooklyn and others to site and fund the new statue. “We want to honor [Cabrini] in the original intent that she was voted on – for what she did for the City of New York. That’s what, I think, should be the most important thing of this, not who builds the statue,” said Father Guy Sbordone from St. Frances Cabrini Parish, who is appreciative that Cabrini is being recognized as someone who helped contribute to the building of NYC. “One-hundred-and-two years after her death, she’s still being honored, remembered and celebrated for all that she did.”
Historical photos showing Carroll Gardens feast days featuring Mother Cabrini. Photos are from the 1940's and 1950's with the kind courtesy of Sacred Heart and St. Stephen's Church.
www.star-revue.com
December 2019
Mother Cabrini State-funded Cabrini statue and post office renaming plans move forward
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hile there was heated contention between the City and Roman Catholics earlier this fall – regarding the dismissal of St. Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini in the She Built NYC campaign – progress with external initiatives are taking place to honor her. A statue will be made in Cabrini’s honor and a Brooklyn post office may be rechristened to share her namesake.
State-funded statue Though another public She Built NYC nomination period would open again on or before June 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo believed that would be too long to determine if Cabrini could be considered again. So, following this year’s Columbus Day Parade, Cuomo announced that the State would allocate up to $750,000 for a statue. He also confirmed that a commission would collaboratively work together in making that a reality. “Mother Cabrini was a great New Yorker and a great Italian-American immigrant who did untold good for the people of this state, and there is no doubt she is deserving of a statue in her honor,” Cuomo said on October 24, 2019. “With the help of this new commission, we are going to get this done to help ensure Mother Cabrini’s legacy of service to her community and those who are less fortunate is remembered for generations to come.” Cuomo appointed 18 individuals to serve on the commission, including Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Brooklyn Diocese as the designated chairman and Angelo Vivolo of the Columbus Heritage Coalition. A majority of its members also come from Italian-American groups and organizations.
by Erin DeGregorio Sciame feels that, after the statue is eventually built and unveiled, it will send a message to all immigrants coming here and to those who are already here. “For those coming, it will mean that there is or was someone who, from many years ago, struggled for the immigrants and fought for their causes at that time,” he explained. “The statue will be a beacon, just as the Statue of Liberty is. It reminds [us of] all of the struggles of life and, yet, there is the hope of a new world, a place to live and make for a better life.” While the overall length of the process has not been confirmed yet, it should be noted that Cabrini’s 75th canonization anniversary takes place in the summer of 2021.
Additional funds After it was announced that Cabrini wouldn’t be one of the chosen She Built NYC winners, the Catholic Foundation of Brooklyn and Queens began fundraising on September 19. The Italian Apostolate of the Diocese of Brooklyn established the fund. John Quaglione, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s deputy press secretary, told us that the Foundation had collected $41,000 in pledges to date, as of November 18. This amount is separate from the money that’s been committed by Cuomo. “This money will be used to either help with any costs over the $750,000 or be used to build another statue of Mother Cabrini,” Quaglione said. “It all depends on the needs we find as we move along in this process.”
Post office renaming
One of its members, Joseph Sciame, spoke to the StarRevue:
Congressman Max Rose also spearheaded legislation to rename the Dyker Heights Post Office as the “Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini Post Office Building.” Rose represents the 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and certain portions of Southern Brooklyn where many Italian-Americans live.
“As an Italian American who grew up in such a family environment in which religions, family values and great respect for one another was prevalent, Mother Cabrini was a person who my grandfather, a barber, had known in Manhattan, and so there was a great devotion to her,” Sciame said.
“The incredible groundswell of support for her in our community is a testament to her example of compassion, service, and impact,” Rose said. “I support all efforts to ensure Mother Cabrini’s legacy lives on, including the Governor’s announcement to build a statue.”
He continued, “In terms of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America – for which I have served in the elected post of State President, Grand Lodge of New York, from 1993 to 1997 and then as National President from 2003 to 2005, and even now as President of the Sons of Italy Foundation, Inc. – we had designated Mother Cabrini as our Patroness, with St. Francis as Patron, back in 1993. They are seen not merely as Roman Catholic saints, but as international saints for all.”
The bill was introduced to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on October 22. Twenty-three New York representatives have backed the bill, as of November 23, including Yvette Clarke and original co-
sponsor Nydia Velázquez (who represent the 9th and 7th Congressional Districts respectively in Brooklyn). “The Diocese of Brooklyn is encouraged by the continued interest, and fully supports all appropriate plans, to pay tribute to the life and legacy of St. Frances Cabrini,” Quaglione told us in regard to Rose’s legislative action. Rose’s Communications Director Jonas Edwards-Jenks confirmed that there is no timeline currently as to when legislative procedure will move forward. “We’re hopeful we’ll get it across the finish line,” EdwardsJenks told us. Should the House unanimously pass it, the bill would be immediately sent to the Senate for its vote and then to the president for his signature. When we asked why this location was specifically picked and if any other sites in Southern Brooklyn had been considered – before the post office was chosen – Edwards-Jenks didn’t provide those answers. Reasonable deduction points to the post office operating on the popular 13th Avenue of Dyker Heights – an area that saw a lot of Italian immigration and is in the same neighborhood of St. Frances Cabrini Parish. “When you [re]name something or you create a statue, you’re putting something out there for people to question. Someone who walks by and says, ‘Oh it’s Mother Cabrini Post Office,’ at some point has to turn around say, ‘Well, why?’” Heyer explained. “In that ‘why’ is the real reason you do it. So that people learn about how a woman – who was by herself as an immigrant and didn’t know the language – became a citizen, helped others on that path, and helped those who were poor and ill just like herself.” Across the country, post offices are usually renamed after nationally recognized individuals, hometown heroes (e.g.. fallen military members), and those of local fame and reputation. Post offices can’t be renamed after living individuals – unless they’re wounded veterans and former presidents, vice presidents, local and state elected officials or former judges who are over 70 years old. Dedicatory plaques, which cost between $250 and $500 (according to a New York Times article in 2013), are purchased by the U.S. Postal Service and displayed in the post office lobby. Eighty-six postal facilities in New York State have been renamed since 1986 – 25 of those are located within the five boroughs.
Cuomo and the commission had their first meeting on November 8. The commission has been tasked with determining potential locations, developing a design of the new statue, and eventually selecting a piece of art. Commission member John L. Heyer II, who is also the pastoral associate at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Parish in Carroll Gardens, confirmed that the process has begun. However, he couldn’t disclose any specific details that had been discussed. “The first phone conference was very good,” Heyer told us on November 13, coincidentally on Cabrini’s feast day. “We’re going to meet, look at those sites, and then come together. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we will know the site, which would be great because we could move from that point forward. Everything will get fleshed out, and then [get] presented to artists [who will] be able to come back with something.”
Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019, Page 21
Mother Cabrini 11 facts you might not have known about Saint Frances Cabrini by Erin DeGregorio
1. Cabrini’s original name was Maria Francesca Cabrini, before she took her vows in 1877 and changed her name to Frances Xavier, in tribute to Francis Xavier. 2. Before becoming a nun, Cabrini was a teacher. She, herself, was taught by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart and had earned a teaching certificate with them in 1868. She was a private school teacher in her hometown of S’ant Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, and later was a public-school substitute teacher in Vidardo, from 1871 to 1874. 3. She had aquaphobia. Cabrini nearly drowned as a child, which spurred her fear of water. However, she overcame it as an adult when she made 23 transatlantic trips to do missionary work around the world. 4. She created her own missionary because of previous rejections. Due to her frail health, Cabrini wasn’t allowed to join any of the local missionaries – including the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, who had taught her growing up. She was encouraged, instead, to found her own religious congregation. Cabrini founded the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the age of 30, in 1880, with seven other young women in Lodi, Italy. 5. America wasn’t even on Cabrini’s radar. Pope Leo XIII told Cabrini to go “not to the East, but to the West” – to New York for her missionary trip, instead of China as she had requested. 6. She and her Sisters had no home when landing in New York in 1889. After 12 days spent crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Italy, the pre-arranged housing accommodations and monetary stipend for Cabrini’s order weren’t ready upon their arrival. New York Archbishop Michael Corrigan suggested that they return to Italy instead. The American Sisters of Charity gave them hospitality, and the Italian Countess of Cesnola later donated property near 59th Street to them, which became their home and later the site of the order’s orphanage (opened on Palm Sunday of 1890). 7. Cabrini was a smart businesswoman, who paid close attention to the construction details of each institution she founded. According to TIME Magazine, she fired a group of contractors who tried to swindle her in a Chicago hospital construction project – “the little Italian nun fired them out of hand, tucked up her habit, and stumped about the scaffoldings for weeks directing the laborers herself,” the report said. 8. She established 67 institutions – one for each year of her life. Her orphanages, hospitals and schools are located throughout the United States (e.g. Chicago, New Orleans and Denver) and around the world (e.g. Argentina, Spain and France). 9. Cabrini has four miracles to her name. In 1928, Chicago Cardinal George Mundelein verified two miracles that were attributed to her. In 1939, two more miracles were attributed to her intercession, which helped her to become canonized as a saint. One miracle, for example, was the restoration of Fr. Peter Smith’s eye tissue and sight, hours after he was born and was mistakenly given the wrong percentage of silver nitrate in 1921. The Sisters at Mother Cabrini Memorial Hospital pinned a piece of Cabrini’s habit to Peter’s onesie and prayed for him for two days before he recovered. 10. She became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint on July 7, 1946. According to the New York Daily News, Pope Pius XII waived the canon law that “required a half-century lapse between the first examination of the candidate’s virtues and actual elevation to sainthood.” 11. Cabrini died in her own Columbus Hospital (Chicago) of dysentery on December 22, 1917.
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December 2019
On ART Ditmas Park artist extraordinaire
J
uan Carlos Pinto is our artist. Originally from Guatemala, Pinto has made Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, his home for the past ten years. Pinto and I met at Vox Pop in Ditmas Park. Now closed, Vox Pop was an artist cafe-bar. A place where people gathered to create. Unlike other gentrified parts of NYC, Vox Pop was a home to Brooklyn locals, people from other states and even other countries. People of different political persuasions. All gathered together at Vox Pop to share ideas. Not all agreed, but all people were accepted. I say Pinto is our artist because he’s decorated bars (Highbury Pub, Bar Chord, 773 Lounge) and many storefronts, as well as street-walls, with his mosaics, murals and portraits. His indelible mark has been made on the neighborhood. Pinto and I were fast friends the moment we met. We both tend to talk a lot, to sometimes be very inappropriate, then deeply philosophical, then
by Mike Fiorito emotionally transparent – all in the same conversation. In the same sentence, sometimes. We also recognize each other not only as friends but as fellow artists. I am proud to know Juan Carlos Pinto. Pinto has created many dozens of mosaics of famous personages. Some are iconic musicians, some are revolutionaries and some are martyrs. Bowie, Bernie, Trayvon Martin and Martin Luther King. Many of these have been created using bits of MTA MetroCards. But Pinto is also a fine painter. And he also makes mosaics using bits of scrap porcelain and glass. He is a complete master. When we sit at bars in the neighborhood, he’s often chiseling and cutting, sketching and drawing. Always making, always creating. Recently Pinto had a commission to make post cards for a museum. Using his unique eye for color and form, Pinto developed a series of images. They are so powerful,
so inventive, they practically fly off of the page. Pinto is a man of the street. We can’t get away from each other. Everywhere I go, there he is. And I’m glad for that. Pinto is ours. He’s mine too. And I’m his. Like two pulsing stars, we’ve kept in each other’s orbit. We bound together. From his immense light, I can see far and wide. I hope to never lose that brilliance in my life. You can find Pinto these days at OYE Studios on 834 Coney Island. At OYE, Pinto and his studio partners, Helen Spencer and Mikki Kaj Valfrid Nylund, have created a space to exhibit the work of other local artists, as well as their own. Their exhibits are interesting and fun. They’ve established a vibrant community of artists from all walks of life. And all they ask for is a donation. Go down and check out OYE Studios today. OYE Studios, 834 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218 (718) 693-1120
Photos - clockwise from top left: Bird, but not Charlie (from the postcard series); the artist Juan Carlos Pinto at OYE; Mr. Bernie, by Pinto
Red Hook Star-Revue
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December 2019, Page 23
Caleb's film previews - december
D
ecember here in film town is just November, but more. Like last month, the major studios will drop awards contenders just before their submission deadlines. Aging auteurs will release overlong reflections on their encroaching mortality. When the holiday season hits, Disney IP will capture the imagination of every living child and man-child, and hopefully entertain the rest of us enough to distract us from our encroaching mortality. Check out the high- (and maybe low-) lights below:
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - 12/6 What it is: A romantic period piece about a young painter and the wealthy noblewoman she falls in love with. Writer-director Céline Sciamma won the award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival.
Bombshell screams “misguided disaster.”
Richard Jewell 12/13
What it is: In Clint Eastwood’s newest film, heroic pilot security guard “Sully” Sullenberger Richard Jewell must fight The System and clear his name after being unfairly blamed for the Hudson River plane crash Centennial Olympic Park bombing.
Uncut Gems 12/13
What it is: Two British messengers scramble across the hellish Western Front in hopes of halting a doomed attack. Sam Mendes and director of photography Roger Deakins designed the World War I epic to resemble a single two-hour tracking shot.
What it is: Jeweler and general agent of chaos Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) tries to heal his marriage, escape circling loan sharks, and collect on a string of high-stakes bets in 2012 New York. Former NBA star Kevin Garnett also stars as himself in this crime thriller.
Little Joe- 12/6
A Hidden Life 12/13
Bombshell- 12/13
What it is: A retelling of the Fox News sexual misconduct scandals, starring Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, and Nicole Kidman as a trio of prominent women victimized by Roger Ailes. Why should you see it: Beyond the inherent ickiness of portraying Fox employees as feminist heroes, trailers for Bombshell frame the film as a lighthearted, woman-scorned revenge romp. Stories from the Me Too era should be told, but
What it is: It is Star Wars.
Why should you see it: I like it when they do the sword fights.
Why should you see it: In any other year, Portrait of a Lady on Fire might have won the Palme D’Or. As it stands, critics praised Sciamma’s visual eye as well as her examination of eroticism, obsession, and the female gaze.
Why should you see it: If viewers can stand some unconventional pacing and stilted performances, they might be rewarded with a mesmerizing allegory for the dangers of the pharmaceutical industry.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 12/20
Why should you see it: Clint is famous for his breakneck production speeds, but Richard Jewell began filming in late June. That this film even exists five months later is a not-so-minor miracle.
Why should you see it: Adam Sandler secretly ranks among the greatest actors of his generation. Co-directors Josh and Benny Safdie have in their short careers crafted a singular vision of the city, one powered by neon, synths, and amphetamines. Uncut Gems, the trio’s first collaboration, earned nominations for Best Male Lead, Best Director, and Best Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.
What it is: An oddball sci-fi/horror flick about a pretty flower that’s supposed to make folks happy.
unseen stories. They teach us how to think and behave and perceive the world, and they allow us to rejoice in our common humanity. Other times, Jason Derulo sings songs about how he, the sexiest cat, most deserves to die and ascend to Valhalla.
What it is: Terrence Malick’s portrait of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian man who chose death over service in Hitler’s Reich. Why should you see it: Malick, whose early work landed him in the pantheon of Great Directors, has not approached his 20th century heights since 2011’s flawed-but-stunning The Tree of Life. Expect minimal dialogue, an inflated runtime, and heartbreakingly gorgeous photography.
1917 12/25
Why should you see it: Deakins is the best DP in the business, and he and Mendes previously collaborated on 2012’s spectacular Skyfall. If I’m being a concern troll, 1917’s technical ambition and Deacon’s eye for beautiful lighting might detract from the war’s ugliness.
Little Women 12/25
What it is: Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved bildungsroman. Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, and Eliza Scanlen star as the four March sisters. Why should you see it: Gerwig established herself as a sharp writer and sharper director with Lady Bird. Her choice to split Little Women’s screenplay into non-linear vignettes indicates a willingness to take creative risks with established stories, and early reviews were rapturous. Why should you see it: Daniel Kaluuya is an honestto-God movie star, one who hasn’t gotten a leading role to chew on since Get Out. - Caleb Drickey
Cats 12/20
What it is: A long-awaited film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s long-running Broadway musical. Why should you see it: Sometimes, movies whisk us away from the drudgeries of existence. They offer grand adventure and glimpses at hitherto
Indie Theater Triple Feature American Dharma
Documentarian Errol Morris interviews former Trump advisor and generally repugnant pit-stain Steve Bannon. In The Fog of War and Known Unknowns (films Bannon cites as personal favorites), Morris walked through Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeldt’s personal biographies to examine the personal and structural failings of American empire. Bannon, who prefers bloviating about his favorite films and his own messiah complex, offers no such insight. Morris also frustrates, spending more time recapping the 2016 election than examining the cultural and political moments that shaped Bannon and his ideology. Viewers will likely leave American Dharma disgusted with Bannon and his movement, but with no greater understanding of how it came to be or where it will lead us. It’s an empty, aimless disappointment from a filmmaker who should know better. American Dharma recently concluded its run at Film Forum.
1/4 Stars Page 24 Red Hook Star-Revue
Mickey and the Bear Mickey, a high school senior in Montana, must balance her educational aspirations, her romantic interest in a handsome new classmate, and her responsibilities as caretaker for her traumatized veteran father. First-time writer/director Annabelle Attanasio deserves credit for her frank depiction of sexuality, addiction, and race, as well as her commitment to pursuing bold and disturbing narrative twists. However, her decision to cast charismatic, Hollywood-beautiful, and mid-20s-as-hell actors as rural teens undercuts her dirty realist vision. Mickey and the Bear is a solid if unexceptional take on family drama, one that promises better films in Attanasio’s future. Mickey and the Bear recently concluded its run at Film Forum.
2.5/4 Stars www.star-revue.com
Marriage Story
In less than ten minutes, Noah Baumbach constructs a beautiful partnership, then spends the next two hours burning it down. Darkly hysterical and deeply sad, Noah Baumbach’s semi-autobiographical tale of a bicoastal divorce (literally and figuratively) sings. Instead of defaulting to a child’s perspective, Baumbach sticks to the stories of his fracturing adults, played in equally stunning performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson. Laura Dern and Alan Alda, playing a pair of dueling divorce lawyers, each receive their richest roles in years. Baumbach’s screenplay never strays too far from real human hurt in search of jokes or contrived sentiment, and a jagged, vicious fight late in the film made several in my theater cry. Divorce, in a word, sucks. But Baumbach shows the path to new life for those willing to take it. Marriage Story is playing at the IFC Center and Cobble Hill Cinemas, and is available for streaming on Netflix.
3.5/4 Stars December 2019
On Film Movie review: ‘Honey Boy’ by Caleb Drickey
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erner Herzog, the German filmmaker and Baby Yoda enthusiast, doesn’t much like chickens. In his view, chickens embody “a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic, nightmarish creatures in the world.” Mr. Herzog is not alone in this estimation. Showmen and grifters train these birds to dance, play checkers, and perform tricks not because of their unique cleverness, but because chickens are performers. Creatures of unvarnished externality, they lack internal thoughts and complexities, and instead allow their behavior to be molded by those around them. In the new autobiographical drama Honey Boy, Shia LaBeouf portrays himself as a trained chicken and asks whether he can ever become something more. Written by LaBeouf during a court-ordered stint in alcohol rehab, Honey Boy follows Otis, troubled star of the Not-Transformer films, as he reflects on his childhood and the abusive father who shaped him. Otis, it seems, had a profoundly troubled childhood. Twelve years old and already an established television star, he lives in a run-down motel with his father, James, a chicken tamer-turned-circus clown bursting with uncontained insecurity and violence. Early in the film, their relationship alternates between affection and abuse; the pair practice juggling and line readings, but James also belittles and beats his son. James and his contradictions lie at the heart of Otis’ pain. James’ instills in his son a strict work ethic and encourages self-sufficiency, but also enables the boy’s most self-destructive habits. Later in the film, LaBeouf reveals that Otis employs his father as his on-set caretaker. James’s paternal kindness is transactional, but he chooses to be cruel. Complicating this basic structure is LaBeouf's performance as James, the fictionalized version of his own abuser. LaBeouf plays his father as all swaggering id, a shameless flirt who externalizes his personal humiliations in public meltdowns. Yet for all his faults, LaBeouf infuses his performance with warmth. LaBeouf ’s abuser was not a faceless monster, he was a father who tortured his son because he could not escape the consequences of his own self-inflicted injuries. This all makes Honey Boy a fascinating exercise in exposure therapy. But does the film function beyond its star’s metanarrative? The answer, unfortunately, is mostly no.
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Noah Jupe in Honey Boy. Courtesy of Amazon Studios
Director Alma Ha’rel does what she can. An ingenious early montage reveals how Otis’ on-screen antics, a blur of sex and substance abuse and casual violence, bleeds into his personal life. Later, she depicts the young Otis’ one true moment of interpersonal connection not by staging a heartto-heart conversation, but through mime. Lit by Ha’rel’s warm reds and purples, Otis performs for the first time not as his father’s trained bird, but as a boy in dire need of emotional expression. Lucas Hedges does not help. Playing the adult Otis, Hedges’ hyper-specific performance undermines any possibility of a larger narrative. Rather than creating an original character, Hedges apes LaBeouf ’s accent and mannerisms too closely. His Otis/LaBeouf cannot modulate any act or emotion, and the resulting physical performance feels more like caricature than characterization. Hedges aims at a total transformation, but falls somewhere between an SNL impersonation and the uncanny valley.
specificity of LaBeouf ’s paternal traumas could never fully translate to a commercial film. Nevertheless, LaBeouf exposed himself, his biography, and his healing process to public scrutiny. Honey Boy is a bold, courageous film, one that I hope does not derail his healing process. 3/4 Stars Honey Boy is currently playing at the Angelika Film Center, Village East Cinema, and Williamsburg Cinemas.
Additionally, LaBeouf and Ha’rel falter in their depiction of ongoing emotional pain. Near the end of the film, Otis tells his therapist that he channels his childhood traumas into his performances. So long as Otis/LaBeouf make films, they must revisit his most difficult memories, and cannot truly find closure. Honey Boy’s very existence, therefore, undercuts its sweet and optimistic denouement. Life is more complex than narrative allows. The
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December 2019, Page 25
Gallery picks by Piotr Andro Wekua at Gladstone Gallery November 1 - December 21 515 West 24th Street
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n the same block of Chelsea where I once spent a fantastic summer as an unpaid gallery intern is the W. 24th Street location of the infamous Gladstone Gallery. The gallery boasts a stunning roster of artists, from Robert Mapplethorpe to Amy Sillman. This month, I visited the new show by Georgian artist Andro Wekua, known for his multidisciplinary work. The show continues the exploration of liminal space seen throughout Wekua’s oeuvre. He has had previous exhibitions at the 2011 Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museum, and numerous international and US-based galleries and museums.
This show features layered multimedia wall works and three-dimensional cast bronze and nickel silver sculpture. The paintings, featuring techniques like silk-screening and gilding, as well as traditional oil painting, flirt between abstraction and representation, creating a space in between. This is seen in Wings (2019), a painting with oil paint, silver leafing, silkscreen ink, and varnish on aluminum panel. With a blue figure next to wings emerging from a section of silver leaf and a window to the left of them, it simultaneously creates a both tangible and intangible space. Another work with the same media is What You Gonna Do (2019), featuring a silkscreened figure and tongues of flame receding or appearing out of layered paint and silver leaf that brings to mind the haunting early work of Gerhard Richter. Other works veer further towards abstraction, such as Diving (2019), which also features oil paint, silkscreen ink, and varnish on an aluminum panel. With its bright blue hues, it creates a flat space which gains some dimensionality through the heavily layered impasto brushstrokes. Here, Wekua layers so profusely as to completely ob-
EPA calls out City's Superfund lie by George Fiala In a letter dated November 26, 2019, Peter D. Lopez, the EPA Regional Administrator heading the Gowanus Superfund project, had some choice words for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, charged by the EPA to create holding tanks for raw sewage that normally has been dumped into the Gowanus canal during storm events. In addition to cleaning the canal, making it more habitable to life, the Superfund is also delegated to keeping the canal clean into the far future. While a large part of the canal pollution is chemical, a result of a century of the gas industry dumping the aftereffects of methane production into the canal, a significant part of the pollution is the human waste that the city continues to offload into the body of water. The original Record of Decision – which became
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Photos: Wings (2019); What You Gonna Do (2019); gallery view featuring Slow Singing, Flower Bringing at end of hallway (2019).
fuscate any semblance of narrative previously inherent in the discrete parts of the piece. In this presentation, the figure of Wings seemingly stares rightward into the void created in Diving. My personal favorite work in the show was Slow Singing, Flower Bringing (2019), a bronze and glass amalgam of a fish and sculpture of Eros morphed into one form, at the end of the hallway in the gallery. The room, with its high ceiling and mix of artificial and natural light, adds a dramatic chiaroscuro to a sculpture that is already striking on its own. Eros is interwoven with the fish, and each has a dramatic gaze, with the fish’s translucent bright red milled glass eyes and Eros’ haunting white glass eyes with a single slit for each pupil. Dangling from the top of the sculpture is an arrangement of realistically painted bronze flowers.
(2019), consisting of bronze and nickel silver, features a palm frond (a motif seen in other works in Wekua’s oeuvre), and a silver androgynous child figure without arms, propped up by a bronze dolphin with its head seemingly below ground. The arrangement brings to mind the ancient Roman copies of Greek sculptures propped up by inanimate objects and echoes the omnipresent layers in the canvases of the show. The sculpture of the child continues the circular gaze in the space, staring at the Wings figure. The space itself is well suited to the curation, allowing a nice interplay of natural and artificial light to illuminate the works. Furthermore, the capacious gallery gives the dense pieces space to breathe and allows for contemplation by the viewer. The show will be on view at Gladstone’s W. 24th gallery location through December 21. - Piotr Pillady
Similarly, the other sculpture in the show, Us federal law in September, 2012 – directed the city to mitigate that pollution by building tanks large enough to temporarily hold the sewage until the regular sewer lines were able to shunt the sewage to the treatment plant. This is what is normally done, but during storms the sewer lines back up, so the waste goes either into the canal or into the street. After a protracted battle that involved the location of the tanks, a battle won by the city, DEP sprung another surprise on the EPA last summer by demanding that EPA consider a last-minute plan to build a holding tunnel, and not two tanks. This was after the city had already claimed to have spent $30 million on plans for the tanks. A representative from AECOM, a huge company with lots of NYC business, attended the meeting where the tunnel was first proposed. Among their other projects, AECOM was involved in building the Second Avenue Subway.
Lopez so in an October missive. Lopez responded with a long letter that contained the following extract: "Earlier in the process of discussing the potential merits of the tunnel proposal, I was given the impression that the City's work on both tanks was fully proceeding in parallel with efforts related to the tunnel concept. I have come to understand that little progress has been made with regard to the OH007 tank during the intervening months while the tunnel proposal was under consideration and ask you to move forward with this work without further delay. I reiterate my statement in EPA's September 20th letter that we examine adaptive strategies to quickly move forward as expeditiously as possible with these remedy components. "We look forward to continued engagement with the City and the community on this project. Sincerely, Peter D. Lopez, Regional Administrator."
The EPA rejected the tunnel request, citing unacceptable time delays among other problems. The city was not happy, and the DEP commissioner told
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December 2019
STAR REVUE
MUSIC
Modern Rock Journalism
Dead Presidents: The Music of Elections, Past, Present and Future by Mike Morgan Well I ain’t broke but I’m badly bent, everybody loves them dead presidents - Willie Dixon *
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s the Presidential electoral season shifts into full-throttle Aristotle mode, we need to gird ourselves for the incoming bombardment, and I can guarantee it will be veinbursting. Candidates will glom onto anything that might give them an edge in the popularity stakes. Don’t expect them to limit their preferences to political rule only, which is punishing enough. They also want to pretend that they can feel our pain or understand our joys. After all, these are not totally self-absorbed people! They have the interests of the entire nation on their early bird, happy hour blue-plate specials. Music has always played a role here. That’s what this is about, with a bit of selective history along the way, as well as some predictions to boot.
My account starts in 1984, Ronald Reagan versus Walter Mondale for the highest office in the land. The Reagan people were searching for a big hit song to serenade his campaign. They settled for “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen. They made two mistakes here. Firstly, they didn’t ask him. Secondly, they had no idea that it is an anti-war song. On top of this, Springsteen summarily turned them down. Walter Mondale perhaps then uttered the only cogent words of his disastrous effort: “Bruce Springsteen might have been born to run, he might have been born in the USA, but he wasn’t born yesterday.” Somewhat perplexed, the Ronald Reagan handlers opted for another popular song by Michigan rocker Bob Seger entitled "Main Street." It was brought to their attention that this was all about action at a local bar, and the central characters were hookers, pimps, drunks, pole dancers, users, dealers and gangbangers. They abandoned this idea too. In that particular election, Reagan trounced Mondale, who only won his home state. This gave birth to the bumper sticker often seen around then. It read “Don’t Blame Minnesota.”
it seemed like we had gotten over that Fleetwood Mac phase which lasted at least a decade or more on the Wurlitzer, Bill Clinton decided he wanted to be prez. His 1992 campaign tune was “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.” Clinton went so far as to remind us that, in his opinion, Fleetwood Mac was the greatest rock and roll band of all time. That should have been a harbinger of things to come. Luckily for Bill Clinton, most people, at least those who vote, weren’t thinking too hard about tomorrow, today or even yesterday back then. If they wanted clues, all they had to do was ask any Arkansas State Trooper (his personal car service drivers to the local knocking shop). There is always a story within a story, and this one bears telling. The 1996 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago is remembered for Al and Tipper Gore dancing the Macarena on the stage at the United Center, where the Chicago Bulls play basketball. Prior to full-blown gentrification, this was
a pretty rough West Side Chicago neighborhood. I know it well. I have two dear friends who ran a print shop less than half a mile away down Fulton Street. The Henry Horner Homes, a poor and entirely black housing project, was right around the corner. Immediately before the convention, this estate was temporarily cleared of all residents. Believe that. In a classic Potemkin village maneuver, billboards of flowerpots, pussy cats, sausage dogs and budgies were placed in the windows. All of the local mailboxes were removed. My friends’ warehouse business building was visited and vetted by the cops. Snipers took up permanent position on the roof throughout the event. Nearby was Monroe Street, the scene of the 1969 murder of the young Black Panther organizer Fred Hampton by the Chicago police and the FBI. This was a dark and bloody ground. The misery that community suffered so that Al and Tipper could waddle with Hillary and Bill on national television is part of this presidential music narrative too. As a reminder, Tipper Gore was no friend of salty and controversial music. She was the founder of the Parents Music Resource Center (the PMRC), the people who tagged records with warning stickers about explicit lyrics. They went after the likes of Public Enemy, Black Sabbath, Prince, Judas Priest, Madonna, and many others. Tipper Gore was nothing but a moralistic censor. Her hubby Al, regarded by some as an environmentalist, must have forgotten all of that clean air stuff when he was photographed during the Vietnam War as a junior army officer conferring with General William Westmoreland, the instigator of the scorched earth strategy and the architect of dispensing Agent Orange dioxin defoliant over there. The Macarena and the Inconvenient Truth came later. This current crop has already cast their votes for their desert island discs. Thanks to the New York Times and the internet, we know their musical tastes, or what they think they want us to know about their musical tastes. The dropout Beto O’Rourke favors “The Clampdown” by The Clash. This is quite insulting, since his father-in-law literally owns a large chunk of El Paso, Texas. Bill de Blasio is also a Clash fan. (You see Strummer, you
How tiring was it listening to the Fleetwood Mac hits from their huge 1977 album Rumors? If that music had any value, it was lashed to death. Other songs come to mind here: "Hotel California" by the bleeding Eagles, or the endlessly tedious "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. So once
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December 2019, Page 27
PRESIDENTS MUSIC (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)
see what you started!) Amy Klobuchar likes “Bullpen” by Dessa. Don’t blame Minnesota (or poor young Dessa for that matter). Cory Booker, who exudes an exaggerated, irritating concern for the reputation of the Democratic Party above all else, has settled for Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” a beautiful number. Unfortunately, its message evokes too many memories of the male Clinton’s anthem back in 1992, feel-good stuff. Elizabeth Warren is a Dolly Parton follower of the “Nine to Five” variety. I don’t know what to make of this, other than it’s the old Harvard-educated lawyer friend of the working class routine. And Bernie... well he picks “Power to the People” by John Lennon, which is a step up from “Imagine,” the Kumbaya of anybody remotely to the left of David Duke. I shudder to think what the Trump music volume
could be – probably it’s made up of songs by musicians who pledge fealty only to the Bwana himself. Lest I am considered to be of the partisan persuasion here, I refer to a person far more qualified than myself to take a stab at this, Bill Carney (aka Clermont Ferrand) of the French band Les Sans Culottes. Bill is a smarty. He can predict the future. Here is a sample of his Donald Trump playlist: “In the Year 2525” by Ziegler & Evans; “Waiting for the End of the World” by Elvis Costello; “The Stinking Rich” by David Johansen; “Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone; “Do the Boob” by The Real Kids; and “Ball of Confusion” by the Temptations. It should be noted that the Trump gang continuously finds devious ways to play particular songs at his rallies without the artists’ consent. They rely on obscure venue licensing laws to create loopholes in the intellectual property front. These weasels have even managed to piss off Axl Rose! Consider this treatise as a primer for what is to
"I shudder to think what the Trump music volume could be, probably it’s made up of songs by musicians who pledge fealty only to the Bwana himself." come in mainstream politics. You can always hit the mute button or forget to don your Walmart reading glasses. I’ve done both. * Dead Presidents is a Willie Dixon song written in 1963, one of his good ones and there were plenty of those. Willie Dixon was the bass player in the Muddy Waters Band, a tough electric blues out�it. His intention in the song was no doubt to explain the dif�icult circumstances that many people found themselves to be in, mostly through no fault of their own. Willie Dixon was an imprisoned draft resister during World War Two. He refused to �ight for a government that treated his community with such wanton abuse. He died in 1992. He is an American music legend.
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December 2019
Cold Metal for the Long Winter by Kurt Gottschalk
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very so often, a band comes along the greatness of which is beyond its own measure, a band that stands as a gateway to discovery. Miles Davis’s groups, the Yardbirds, the various incarnations of Acid Mothers Temple, all lead to multiple – and sometimes greater – rewards through their various side projects and membership changes. The mighty Sunn O))) is another such iceberg. Not only one of the best downtempo doom bands around, they serve as a guide through the darkness by way of their collaborations and, notably, the roster found on Southern Lord, the label founded by Sunn O))) guitarist Greg Anderson. He and Sunn O))) co-conspirator Stephen O’Malley are responsible for untold gallons of worthy audio sludge. At their best, Sunn O))) music is like an orchestration of feedback, waves arranged into something somewhat like structure. This year’s Life Metal (their eighth release) showed them at their strippeddown best. After four years without a studio album, they’ve issued a second missive from the void this year with Pyroclasts. And where Life Metal was sort of slow variations on a grind, the new album is almost meditative, if still highly charged.
of the water. CG Santos, the band’s sole member, has been focusing on other projects in recent years, but through the Greek label Zazen Sounds has released an unearthed 2010 session of gorgeously atmospheric stillness. Santos manages to take all the rock out of his music while retaining the metal. The music has more in common with a Morton Feldman composition, or a John Carpenter score, or a record by the longstanding British free improv group AMM, than it does anything in the wake of the mighty Black Sabbath, but it retains the electricity and the fatalism of the best heavy metal. It was a remarkable project and, although seemingly over, is fortunately easily heard. All two dozen of Santos’ LDRTFS records, as well as more than three dozen Sunn O))) albums, are streaming in full on Bandcamp, which should be enough for the long winter ahead.
Cover of Sun O)))'s album Pyroclasts.
Pyroclasts was born of ritual during the recording of Metal Life. The band began and ended their sessions recording the new tracks with improvised drones to facilitate the immersion. Those improvisations became a framework for the album and, in fact, a playlist with alternating tracks from each of the records might be the best way to listen to them. Both were recorded by producer Steve Albini and sound beautiful, if you’re not scared of the dark. If Sunn O))) is the tip of the iceberg, the Spanish project Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere existed somewhere deep below the frozen surface
SUNN O))) in performance
A beautiful night celebrating Prince by Kurt Gottschalk
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or an artist of such enormous popularity for such a long period of time, Prince was never one to fall in line with expectations. He played sexuality and spirituality side by side, willfully crossed perceived lines of race, gender and musical genre and insisted on musical autonomy where most artists in his league happily cash the corporate checks. So an evening properly celebrating his life and art couldn’t easily be any one thing, as it was (or wasn’t) on August 18 at Town Hall. Prince: The Beautiful Ones was a glam book release for the just released memoir of the same title, but it was also a concert, a memorial and a benefit for the Harlem Children’s Zone. The evening began appropriately unexpectedly with an African percussion group (one of the realms Prince would have gotten to eventually had he not left this realm in April 2016). The balafon intoned the familiar three-chord intro of “When Doves Cry,” the artist’s first true moment of brilliance, as members of his band the New Power Generation filed onstage and joined in. With four drummers and as many singers (not to mention the bass guitar Prince famously excised from the song), it was a fuller sound than the record, and they’re a good band. They may not be that good, they’re not Prince good, but that wasn’t the point. The NPG would return several times during the course of the night, playing a total of eight songs, from the huge (“Purple Rain,” “Nothing Compares 2 U”) to lesser hits (“Call My Name,” “DMSR”). Between songs, Prince was remembered, as journalist and evening emcee Greg Tate put it, for
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“his life, his art, his legacy and his philanthropy” by a diverse group of devotees: Dan Piepenbring, co-author of the new memoir; publisher Chris Jackson; director Spike Lee; NYU digital media professor De Angela Duff (who organizes annual symposia on Prince albums at the university); and Kwame Owusu-Kesse, chief operating officer of the evening’s benefactor, Harlem Children’s Zone. In 2011, Prince donated $1M to the organization, just one of his many examples of charitable benevolence, most of which weren’t publicized until the weeks after his death. More than anything else, Prince was remembered during the course of the evening for his humanism. “We all know the music, but let’s start reading the lyrics,” proclaimed Lee, holding a gold “glyph” guitar that Prince had given him. “There’s some truth in there.” Those lyrics were often about sex, but – at least to their writer – weren’t just that. “More than my songs have to do with sex, they have do do with one human’s love for another, which goes deeper than anything political that anybody could possibly write about,” Prince said in a 1981 interview quoted in the new book. “I think my problem is that my attitude’s so sexual that it overshadows anything else – that I might not [be] mature enough as a writer to bring it all out yet.” He and his lyrics did mature, though, eventually running deep beneath the groove. In “Money Don’t Matter 2 Night” (a song for which Lee made the video and that NPG played at Town Hall), Prince sang, “Maybe we can find a good reason / to send a child off to war. / So what if we’re controllin’ all the oil, / is it worth a child dying for? / If long
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At the Prince celebration
life is what we all live for / then long life will come to pass. / Anything is better than the picture of the child / in a cloud of gas.” Set, as he often did, to an upbeat pop melody, the song is as catchy as it is indicting. Piepenbring had never written a book when Prince hired him. But before much headway could be made, his employer was gone, leaving him with the difficult task of completing the book alone. What he came up with isn’t a full life story but it is respectful and insightful and it looks good. It feels like something of which Prince would have approved, and those are some big words. The book paints its subject not as a genius or a mystic, not as a visionary or a pop star, not as Valentino or Greta Garbo, but in fact as all of those. Most of what was written about Prince during his lifetime focused on whichever of the star’s guises an author chose to pursue, and in fact the artist often encouraged the haze. Piepenbring portrays Prince as what he was, an intelligent, passionate and multi-faceted person.
December 2019, Page 29
Matana Roberts at Roulette. (photo by Wolf Daniel)
Records of Records by George Grella
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ould jazz have anywhere the accumulated history if its development had not coincided with that of audio recording and reproduction technology? As an art form, it’s gloriously impure, not only stitched together at its base with musical ideas from multiple traditions but integrated into the rise of the record business from the very start – two important early jazz labels, Victor and Decca, were gramophone manufacturers that started making records so that their customers had a reason to buy one of their machines in the first place. From the very start, jazz has had a complex and ambivalent relationship with recorded sound. Here’s a music that is built on the principal of constant (re)invention that has primarily been experienced through reproduction. No matter how many times you play Coltrane’s Giant Steps, the notes are always going to be the same, and can only be discovered once. This in no way discounts records. They have been indispensable not only for jazz fans but musicians as well. All of us have cut our jazz baby teeth by transcribing a favorite solo off a record and playing it back on our horns again and again and again and again and... The Penguin Guides to recorded jazz is an essential book, and discographies are not only invaluable research tools but something like a Lovecraftian arcana, lists full of the runes of session and release numbers – pore over them long enough, and some new dimension will surely reveal itself. Jazz doesn’t work like pop music, where concerts generally try to duplicate recordings as much as possible. It’s usually been the opposite, with musicians trying to recreate the gig idea on wax, like on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus, or the way Miles Davis approached the Prestige sessions with his first Quintet, treating each album like a set at a club. Miles was also responsible for the most notable instances where jazz was recorded as studio composition in a way that deliberately could not been done live, with first In a Silent Way and especially with Bitches Brew, an album that remains an endless, fascinating mystery, set outside of the stream of time because it was made outside of real time. Which brings this to Matana Roberts, who is doing something that is meant as a document in that it is a sound recording, but is also absolutely a document, an official record of information. This is her COIN COIN series of albums (the most recent, COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis, is out as of this fall on Constellation) that use jazz, from blues to free, as the foundation to explore the meanings, paradoxes, tragedies and hopes of African-American life. Roberts weaves stories through the music, via song, spoken word, non-musical sounds; she
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calls it “panoramic sound quilting” and it is personal, mystical, earthy, and universal.
Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, Where Future Unfolds (International Anthem)
And it works both on record and live. Based on the two chapters I’ve experienced in person – the most recent was her sole NYC performance of Chapter Four at Roulette in November – it may work better on record than live. The spirit and meaning of her music-making is beautiful, and that makes the sound of it beautiful, but it’s also mood music – it is personal and uncanny, a world apart from the world, and it takes the right mood to step inside it. The advantage of home listening is that one can reach for COIN COIN when the mind is right.
Miho Hazama, Dancer in Nowhere (Sunnyside)
The Roulette performance was lovely, slightly subdued, full of warmth. There was a large crowd and their devotion to Roberts was clear, but not everyone seemed to be in the right frame of mind to leave their world behind, carving some distance in an event that should collapse that distance. Roberts made everything available, having the audience sing along with a repeated series of perfect fifths, and at one point a whole verse. This made a peaceful, intimate connection between everybody in the hall, but Roberts also dissipated that at key moments by moving on to something else, part of a hazy formlessness that, bound to the length of a CD and divided up into tracks, isn’t an issue on record but made for some ups and downs and ins and outs at Roulette. Still, her whole series is a quilt of large-scale parts, with a scope and ambition greater than anything Wagner imagined. It is one of the most involving things going on in jazz right now and is only fairly judged all together.
Best of 2019
With the end of the year, it’s time for more records, on lists: the bests! I vote in the NPR and DownBeat polls, both of which divide up the music into categories, but what I think matters is solely what’s new and what’s renewed; new releases and things that have been discovered or brought out of the past. The past isn’t even past, the man said, which can be a problem in jazz when newly made music sounds like it was made decades ago, so I keep the living among the living and leave the past to the dead. These are my top ten favorite new releases from last fall through this November, in no ranked order:
Chano Dominguez/Hadar Noiberg, Paramus (Sunnyside) Go: Organic Orchestra & Brooklyn Raga Massive, Ragmalas - A Garland Of Ragas (Meta) Don Byron, Aruán Ortiz, Random Dances and (A)tonalities (Intakt) James Brandon Lewis, An Unruly Manifesto (Relative Pitch) Yeah, that’s eleven. The music is sealed on disc, but how it feels changes in relationship to...everything. That’s jazz. The reissue scene is often clouded by labels perpetually mining their back catalogue for yet more cash, but there were some exceptional releases this year, starting with the discovery of an amazing extended live recording from Mingus, and filled out with great sets from Resonance Records: Charles Mingus, Jazz in Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden (BBE) Eric Dolphy, Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions (Resonance) Nat ‘King’ Cole, Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) (Resonance) Betty Carter, The Music Never Stops (Blue Engine) Mal Waldron Trio, Free at Last (Extended Edition) (ECM) Johnny Griffin/Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis Quintet, Ow! Live at the Penthouse (Reel to Real) Treat your friends, neighbors, and yourself during the giving season. And do mark your calendars for the 2020 Winter Jazzfest, January 9 to 18. This is the premiere jazz event in NYC and includes the weekend marathons where you can wander from one venue to another and hear incredible music, just like the old days www.winterjazzfest.com. Best for the holidays and the new year, and good listening to all!
Zach Brock/Matt Ulery/Jon Deitemeyer, Wonderment (Woolgathering Records) Greg Ward Present Rogue Parade, Stomping Off From Greenwood (Greenleaf) Anat Fort Trio, Colour (Sunnyside) Avram Fefer Quartet, /Testament/ (Clean Feed) Kassa Overall, Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz
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December 2019
Afrobeats: the soundtrack of the diaspora by Roderick Thomas
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oday, hearing Afrobeats punching through speakers in many NYC bars and clubs is the norm. The rise of Afrobeats in recent years tells an interesting story about music’s ever-evolving landscape. Afrobeats isn’t dancehall or reggaeton, yet these genres do have a shared ancestry, surprisingly or not. Much like hip hop, Afrobeats’ far-reaching roots have made the genre a poignant sound of the times. Here’s a bit about the history and success of Afrobeats. West Africa is the birthplace of Afrobeats – Ghana, and Nigeria specifically. As a genre, Afrobeats or Afro Pop is a fusion of native West African music (Ghanian and Nigerian), jazz, Caribbean music, house and hip hop. However, you can’t discuss Afrobeats without mentioning the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Jazz horns swaying around smacks of percussion and crashing maracas, while he confidently chants. Fela Kuti is often regarded as the musical godfather of today’s Afrobeats. It was Fela Kuti’s fusion of traditional Nigerian and Ghanian music, jazz, funk, and Caribbean musical styles that became popularized as Afrobeat, not to be confused with the more modern Afrobeats (with an s). Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fela’s Afrobeat would not only become popular music in West Africa and abroad; for Fela, it would also become a way to discuss social inequities. As in almost any genre, purists typically disdain the comparison of Fela’s Afrobeat to the modern soca- and house-influenced Afrobeats. But honestly, the difference between Afrobeat and Afrobeats comes down to time and the evolution of music. With Afrobeat, Fela incorporated the sounds of his time, while today’s artists utilize the sounds of theirs. With Afrobeats, young artists like Davido, Tiwa Savage and Wizkid incorporate house, pop, and soca to create new sounds. And while the result is often markedly divergent from Fela’s Afrobeat of the 1970s, his influence is an undeniable part of the recipe for today’s Afro Pop or Afrobeats.
Interestingly, despite Afrobeats’ current popularity, it hasn’t been that long since the genre was viewed as a niche. African popular music often tends to be consumed as a novelty. However, today, you can hear Afrobeats on albums like Beyonce’s Lion King soundtrack, The Gift, or Wizkid’s and Drake’s “One Dance.” To some, the explosion of Afrobeats may seem like an overnight phenomenon, but truthfully speaking, it’s been a long time coming. In 2011, Nigerian artist Da Banj released what was at the time, the most successful international Afrobeats song, “Oliver Twist.” “Oliver Twist” was an international success, garnering the support of Kanye West and clearing the path for the future adoption of Afrobeats in the US. Da Banj sang over the wobbly house-tinged track (Olee-Vah Tweest) in his Nigerian accent. “Oliver Twist” captured audiences worldwide without sacrificing originality. Afrobeats’ (or Afro Pop’s) popularity definitely benefits from the current renaissance of black consciousness, and increasing commercial and crosscultural success of black content – Black Panther, Girls Trip, Get Out, etc. In addition, social media has blurred borders, and connected communities throughout the diaspora – hashtags "melanin queen" and "black boy joy" abound. I recall being in Germany, preparing to watch Black Panther, and seeing the collective enthusiasm shared by folks all over the world – people creating videos and stories online and using Afrobeats to document
Afrobeat faces
their Black Panther experience. In New York City, I walk into my neighborhood bodega and listen to my Dominican cashier singing Daivdo’s “Fall,” word for word. Afrobeats is an anthemic genre for modern pan Africanism, a soundtrack for the African diaspora. Ultimately, I hope the success of Afrobeats inspires the adoption of other styles and fusions throughout the diaspora. Here’s a couple of my favorite Afrobeats songs: “If ” by Davido, and “Kélé Kélé Love,” by Tiwa Savage. And check out up-andcoming Ethiopian artist Gaga Siyum and his song “Di Di.” Roderick Thomas is an NYC-based writer and filmmaker (Instagram: @Hippiebyaccident).
Psychedelic Country Folk Pioneers: Kacy & Clayton by Mike Cobb
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ecently a song came on the radio that stopped me in my tracks. The singer’s arresting voice was at once soothing and eerie, not unlike Grace Slick’s part in “White Rabbit.” The vocals rested upon complex countryblues guitar picking with a British sensibility reminiscent of Fairport Convention. All combined it gave me goosebumps. The tune was “Strange Country” by Kacy & Clayton. Second cousins from Saskatoon, Canada, Kacy & Clayton are still in their early 20’s but have already recorded five albums. Together they perform with a depth that belies their youth. Their tremendous talent won them the respect of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, who has produced their last two records: The Siren’s Song and, most recently, Carrying On. On October 10th, Kacy & Clayton performed at Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which has become one of the hipper spots to see live music in NY. After showing your ID at the door, you’ll enter a large and lively bar where sometimes WFMU DJs spin cool, obscure 45’s by bands like the NY
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Dolls. There’s a lovely back garden with a tasty taco truck adjoined by a midsized music hall that holds about 150 people. A small stage has hosted other cool Canadians like the Sadies who rocked a packed house last April with their massive psychedelic country sound. The long wooden bar is well stocked with craft beer, and dimly lit chandeliers create an intimate vibe. Kacy & Clayton charmed the crowd with witty, selfdeprecating stage banter, and completely seduced the audience with their music. It was impressive to see how they maximized their sound as an acoustic duo. They do a lot with a little.
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Kacy and Clayton
I spoke to Kacy & Clayton before their show in the lobby of the nearby Hotel Indigo. At times, the
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‘Ras Kitchen,’ Ital cookin’, reggae music, and Jamaican culture by Michael Cobb
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s with most people, my introduction to Jamaican music started with Bob Marley, whose aptly titled hits collection Legend set my standard for all other reggae music. Soon after I discovered Peter Tosh, Toots and The Maytals, Black Uhuru, and more.
show called Ras Kitchen produced by Matthew Pancer, a young Canadian with an education in media production, artful camera skills, and access to high quality gear that allows him to capture some stunning footage, including spectacular aerial shots of the surrounding countryside.
A family trip to Jamaica in the spring of ‘87 exposed me to the dancehall styles of Admiral Bailey and the sweet, soulful sounds of Gregory Isaacs as well as the incredible vistas and fragrant smells of that beautiful island. Burned into my olfactory memory banks are the scents of salty sea air, woodsmoke, fecund jungle, wild flowers, tropical fruits, sugar cane, rum, and of course ganja.
Going strong since 2010 and now in its 4th season, Ras Kitchen centers around the yard and family life of Rastaman “Mokko” who runs Riverside Cool Cottages, a small cluster of rustic cabins in Sunning Hill in St. Thomas Parish on the eastern end of Jamaica.
In the summer of ‘87, I linked up with my long lost cousin Ross in San Francisco for a trip up to the epic Reggae On The River festival deep in Humboldt County where I saw groups like The Mighty Diamonds, The Itals, and Culture. This experience only deepened my love for Reggae music and Jamaican culture. Today, I’m glad to say I’ve made some wonderful new discoveries online. It started by seeking out reggae bass lessons on YouTube and coming across excellent instructional videos by Devon Bradshaw, longtime bassist for Burning Spear. Devon is accompanied by top drummer Donovan Miller, who has his own episode featuring essential Reggae beats and grooves. These men have the knowledge and the feel necessary for learning reggae rhythm. One of the great things about YouTube is that it often allows you to follow threads to the unexpected. Such was the case when the next video showed Bradshaw and Miller backing up some heavy duty Rasta music led by wizened, dreadlocked elders including Johnny Walker and The Dissappointers with American sax player Henley Douglas Jr. With documentary-style footage, Walker’s tune “Busy” boasts, “You think you’re busy, you’re not busy like me.” “In The Streets” allows a glimpse of Jamaican streetlife. Also mighty is Jah Youth singing and giving a tour of his jungle farm. Filmed in the hills of Nonsuch, Portland, this is all part of a documentary called Reggae In The Ruff and features real Rastafarian musicians named Kultural, Stannie, Splick, FarEye, Bassey, Bushman, Jah Roy, and the aforementioned Johnnie Walker and Jah Youth. Sadly, a few of them have passed on, and searching for the film online only brought up expired links. Binge watching all of this led me to a fantastic
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Mokko is a mellow fellow, fit and wiry with incredible 45-year-old, seven-foot dreadlocks. In one episode he shows how he keeps them clean by bathing in a nearby river with strawberry shampoo. Once they’ve dried, he neatly tucks them up under a variety of giant, funky hats. Mokko’s cooking expertise shines brightly as he languidly labors over a smokey open fire on an old oil drum and guides the viewer through a variety of recipes including ital stew, janga (fried river shrimp), chocolate tea, Irish moss, and more. “Spliff Chats” is a series within the series, where Mokko burns the sacred herb and disperses gentle wisdom. He says, “If you sit down, nothing will come to you. Nobody ought to be surprised. When a man’s time comes, a man’s time comes. This is it! Ya man. Every man have a day, every man have a time. And I tell you, ‘Every hoe ha dem stick a bush!’” It loosely translates to “Carpe diem, and there is somebody for everybody.” Luckily for the viewer, all of this is subtitled, for it would be challenging to understand Mokko’s thick Jamaican patois otherwise. He has his own classic expressions like “no fuckery,” which loosely translates to “no fucking around.” Mokko knows all about every living thing in his yard and their medicinal and dietary properties. He has planted banana, plantain, potatoes, yam, coffee, coconuts, ackee, breadfruit, dasheen, cocoa, soursop, pumpkin, Scotch Bonnet peppers, and more. He cooks Ital food, which is vegetarian, all natural, and from the earth. Though he eats no eat animal protein, he can cook “any kind of food you want” and can be seen preparing fried chicken, fish, and janga (river shrimp) for Matthew in various episodes. All of this is on offer to guests staying at the cottages. Always running through the yard are a pack of
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puppies, chickens, and his adorable grandson Rattie, aka “Rat Rat,” who’s ever up to mischief. Other family members flit in and out. Doret, Mokko’s woman, prepares tasty-looking banana fritters in one episode, while his daughter Shannel takes the lead on cellphone shopping on a family trip to the nearby town of Morant Bay. It’s a glimpse into real Jamaican life. Other highlights included hiking to the top of the blue mountains with Rasta Buru, aka Judge Abel, who emparts more Rasta wisdom. “We’re not here to judge, we’re here to listen.” With Mokko by his side, he later performs his excellent tune “High Grade,” praising Jah and extolling the virtues of herb for “the healing of the nation.” What’s special about this show is Matthew’s relationship with Mokko and his family. The two have a friendly, jovial banter, and Matthew’s sincere desire to capture the real Jamaica comes across. Stylistically Ras Kitchen’s cinematography is fluid and effective by stitching together candid, handheld footage with more complex drone shots for a very real, organic view of Jamaica, which helps the viewer feel as if they’re there. Ras Kitchen has a funding page for those who want to support this unique show: https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpmokko. In an episode called “How Ras Kitchen Started,” Matthew explains his original vision to market it as a travel show, his meetings with various networks, and their appreciation but ultimate rejection of the concept. So much the better as the production has a homespun, independent vibe that allows things to unfold in a natural way without interference from network producers. And it seems to be doing quite well on its own. Ras Kitchen airs nationally on Jamaican Flow TV and lives on YouTube with 351,000 subscribers. One can easily imagine the show on Netflix, though if it ever gets there, I hope Matthew and Mokko can keep it real. I believe they will. Ras Kitchen, Reggae In The Ruff, and Jamaica are filled with real, larger-than-life characters. The depth of personality on display is a huge part of each show’s success. Discovering this fantastic music, cooking, and culture is like cracking open a chest of sunken pirate treasure, a secret waiting to be discovered. To learn more about Ras Kitchen, Mokko, and Riverside Cool Cottages, check out https://raskitchen.com and http://rastamokko.com. I dream of getting back to Jamaica someday and hope to meet these fine folks in person. Bless up!
December 2019
The Glow, Teen Body, and Sean Henry at Baby’s All Right by Piotr Pillardy Having heard about a show featuring The Glow, a band whose current lineup featured musicians from other groups I admire; Teen Body, whom I had wanted to hear live; and Sean Henry, a band releasing a record on one of my favorite labels, I knew this was not one to miss. I was further intrigued that the show was hosted by a meme account I follow and had a half-hour open tequila bar, an atypical atmosphere for concerts like this. Getting off at the Marcy Avenue M stop, I walked the short distance in the blustery cold past Peter Luger to Williamsburg’s Baby’s All Right to see the record release for Sean Henry’s A Jump From The High Dive. Getting to the venue around 7, I settled in. The evening’s performance was hosted by popular DIY band Instagram meme account @juulsexual, who typically matches witty observations of the scene with a backdrop of photos from Reddit’s r/cursedimages. She also engaged in some top-tier prop comedy, pretending to announce the winner of the night’s raffle by unraveling a scroll which supposedly held the name of the winner, only to be then read from a phone and handing Sean a single “whammy” right before his performance. The performances kicked off with The Glow, and the glow of the multi-colored Baby’s lights provided an appropriate backdrop. The current iteration of the band features veterans of the scene. Singer-guitarist-pianist Mike Caridi, who co-runs Bushwick-based indie record label Double Double Whammy, which released the Sean Henry record, was previously in many projects I saw back in the day, including Topshelf Records’ Sirs and Sub Pop’s LVL UP. The band also features Greg Rutkin (Cende and LVL UP) on guitar, Madeline Babuka Black (Yucky Duster) on drums, Nicola Leel (Doe) on bass, and Kate Meizner (Hellrazor and previous touring bassist for Snail Mail) on guitar.
Teen Body at Baby's All Right. (photo by Piotr Pillardy
Tonight, the instrumentation was different than on the record; Mike usually plays piano for half the set, but due to a missing keyboard power cord, he resorted to adapting the parts on the fly on guitar with aplomb. A standout track of the set was “Orchard,” (also from the last LVL UP record) which crescendos to a driving chorus with a fuzzy distorted guitar lead. This was my first experience with Teen Body live, the second set of the night, and they didn’t disappoint. I was brought seaside by their sound, placed somewhere between Beach House and Beach Fossils, with great driving energy full of ethereal, lush reverb and delay. The band rocked through the show, and an atmospheric synth provided a canvas upon which trading and layering melodic guitar lines and vocals painted a wonderful sonic image. The final performance of the evening was Sean Henry, the nome d’art of Sean Posila, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard. At this point, the venue felt very full and there was a palpable energy in the air. The band played their brand of indie music to an enthused crowd. Sean Henry played the first track from the new record, “Can U,” to start off the set. The track starts with a keyboard line played over the full band before Sean sings about the banality of city life, having moved from New York City to Connecticut, where he’s from, a year ago. The song effortlessly goes between pop-rock to a funky wah-wah guitar lick on the chorus with Sean letting out a jaded “yeah.” The second track of their set and my favorite, “Rain, Rain,” also from the new record, starts with catchy vocals that bring to mind an early Thom Yorke crooning before Radiohead made its alt-rock turn. A Jump From The High Dive is available now through Double Double Whammy and major streaming services.
Grand Opening
718 643-2737 718 643-0741 218 Columbia Street, near Union
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December 2019, Page 33
The gypsy flies from coast to coast
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by Mike Fiorito
cott Sharrard has told me that he’s like the Yo-Yo Ma of Americana music. In other words, he’s playing music which is sadly slipping into history. He said that as many younger people drift away from roots music, music with traditions, they are often looking for music with a beat, music made on a laptop, music that sounds like a video game. Because of technology, the younger generation may be less focused on complete albums and more prone to listen to individual songs. When I spoke to Scott, I heard the passion and deep feeling in his voice. He’s spent a lifetime playing with luminaries like Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Miles, Levon Helm, Greg Allman and a host of other talented players, some well-known, some not. Scott is someone who unifies, who brings people and styles together. His spectacular songwriting, vocal ability and guitar playing showcase his originality. No one is creating the kind of music Scott is making today. But he’s also cognizant of those who have influenced him. And the list is long and crosses many genres and styles. From Tony Joe White, to Jimmy Page, to Aretha Franklin, to Al Green – all those voices live in Scott Sharrard. His style flies above all that he has learned, but he’s not shy to acknowledge the fount from which he has drunk. Of course, having played with Greg Allman for about ten years, Scott has been nourished on the music of The Allman Brothers. Appreciating and celebrating his connection to the brothers Allman, Scott organized a Duane Allman tribute show, celebrating what would have been the 73rd birthday of Duane Allman. On November 20, I went to see the tribute show at the Brooklyn Bowl with my friends Sam and Jack. The very idea of a Duane tribute show is very emotional for Sam, Jack and me – we’ve known this music most of our lives. No doubt the throng of people at the Brooklyn Bowl that night felt that way too. Honoring Duane Allman’s genius and his talent for crossing musical styles, Scott assembled an incredible list of players who interpreted Duane Allman’s history, from Macon, Georgia, to Muscle Shoals and beyond, through their own voices. What Sam, Jack and I found interesting and delightful was that Scott’s song list chronicled Duane’s career, going back to his sideman guitar playing with Muscle Shoals stars like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, King Curtis, Cowboy and up into his career with The Allman Brothers. While the band performed versions of the songs on which Duane played sideman, the heat in the Brooklyn Bowl rose to a steady simmer. I found it
KACY & CLAYTON (continued from page 31)
pair seem almost bemused by their success, but there’s no doubt they rival the best 1960’s folkies, and though rooted in tradition, their work is current and fresh. RHSR: How did you first come to meet Jeff Tweedy? Clayton: We opened for Wilco a few years ago, who were doing five nights at the Fillmore in San Francisco. We were lucky to be picked as one of the opening bands. Jeff was very friendly with us right off the bat and invited us to come by the Loft (Tweedy’s studio in Chicago). We went for a visit, and it seemed like an obvious choice. RHSR: He produced your latest album Carrying On and your previous one Siren’s Song. Tell me about that. How was the experience different the
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remarkable that, to the right of the stage, people still bowled, their scores flashing up on screens in their aisles. As the band’s intensity flared up, the lights dazzling and blinking, the bowlers had to stop and listen. How could anyone throw a strike while Scott ripped his solos out like lightning, burning up the stage? What made the night special was that the band transformed all night, as players moved in and out. Tash Neal played guitar and sang Wilson Pickett’s funky versions of “Born to Be Wild” and “Hey Jude.” This was followed by Junior Mack playing sweet Duane riffs, trading leads with Scott, to Boz Scagg’s “Loan Me a Dime.” Junior Mack’s voice milked the honey drops from each note, as he and Scott then climaxed the song into a roaring frenzy. For me some of the highlights of the night were Duane Betts playing guitar and singing on John Hammond’s “Shake for Me,” followed by an arresting version of “Wild Horses,” sung by Lisa Fischer, with Vernon Reid on guitar. Duane Betts’s playing embodied both (his father) Dicky Betts’s plucky bluegrass-blues style and Duane’s bell-toned soloing. And he looks a lot like Dicky Betts, too. Lisa Fischer’s version of Wild Horses was ethereal. Using two microphones, her voice echoed off the rafters and hanging disco balls and dissolved into the stage lights. Meanwhile, Vernon Reid’s intense staccato guitar playing ginned up the music level to planet shattering proportions. Scott had mentioned at the outset that “Wild Horses” was recorded at Muscle Shoals and was reputed to have been written originally by Graham Parsons. I didn’t know this. Scott said that this would be a stretch, but the audience would get it – and he was right. The song seemed to float up into the fans and dissipate into the sky above Williamsburg, Brooklyn, then blow across the world. I hope second time around? Clayton: We did a tour of western Canada with our band that included Andy Bisle on bass and Mike Silverman on drums. After playing every night, the material was tight, and we decided to go back to the Loft. Having recorded there before, we knew the people there better and were more comfortable. Maybe we were more adventurous than the first time around when we were more reserved. RHSR: What does Jeff Tweedy bring to the table as a producer? Kacy: He’s a phenomenal producer. He’s very encouraging and builds your spirits up so you feel confident. He wants to give something to the younger generation, and I feel like we fit into that category. It’s just lucky that it’s us. RHSR: Who are some of your major influences?
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Scott’s offering to Duane settled like a sweet rain into the nooks and crannies of the streets in every city. Perhaps some will unconsciously imbibe Duane’s music and its deep traditions and keep the flame alive for future generations. Jack, Sam and I talked in the cab ride home about music. How music has changed so much since we were kids. We talked about how cool it was that Scott Sharrard pulled this together to honor Duane Allman, who he had never played with but whose shoes he filled when playing with Greg Allman. We talked about how our lives are lived in the music we’ve listened to. We’re all busy, wrapped up in our little worlds, but we come together in the music. It’s like we dwell in the music and then take yearly sojourns into the distraction of life itself. A decade can pass in life; but music creates a time vortex where we can access ourselves in our teens, in our twenties, people who’ve passed, perhaps even future versions of ourselves and others. This is what I think Scott Sharrard aimed to bring us on Duane’s 73rd birthday. I know Duane Allman was listening from atop the rafters in the Brooklyn Bowl. He was getting a good laugh too as the songs transfixed the bowlers. I believe he was happy that people enjoyed his music as they hung out with their friends, talked about old times and had a few beers. Meanwhile, Duane soared above it all like a cowboy gypsy, bearing sorrow, having fun. Mike Fiorito’s most recent book Call Me Guido, was published in 2019 by Ovunque Siamo Press. His two short story collections, Hallucinating Huxley and Freud’s Haberdashery Habit, were published by Alien Buddha Press. He is a regular contributor to the Red Hook Star-Revue. Kacy: Growing up we just followed our own instincts without outside influence. We had a lot of time to listen to music while driving; the distances are big up there. I’m Gen Z, so I know how to find a lot of great music on the internet. Clayton: As a teenager my family and I went to Tennessee. I remember we bought CDs by Doc Watson, Missippi John Hurt, and Bukka White from Ernest Tubb’s record shop. That was around the time we started our band, and those influences have really stuck with me. RHSR: Does being cousins help? Clayton: Yeah, and coming from the same place. I don’t have to explain anything to Clayton. We played together from time to time when we were really young kids. Kacy’s grandfather plays a lot of music and is real good music teacher and likes
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Spotify, Apple, streaming and stereos by Jack Grace
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istening to music on the speaker of a cell phone is about as enjoyable as eating a burrito through a straw. You can get the taste but did you really experience the textures it had to offer? Ok, get yourself a damn high quality stereo already and listen to it often. Yes, vinyl is that good; it’s not just a fad. You also own it and it can’t disappear when a disc drive dies (but it can get stolen, melt, scratch, warp, etc.). I highly recommend the Bose Mini 2 Bluetooth speaker for much of your modern digital musical needs. It sounds amazing. I love everything Bose. Most Americans have a huge TV, yet so few have epic stereo systems anymore. It is all too common to find people listening to horrible-quality mp3s on crappy little speakers and then a lot of those same folks have the gall to complain about how there is no good new music out there!
How could you fall in love with any music on a phone speaker? It ain’t easy. That is one of the reasons why Game of Thrones was the water cooler talk rather than a new amazing band. America (and beyond) for decades has been getting better and bigger TVs and smaller and lower quality stereos – or, hell, not even stereos: we now have to downgrade the name of what many possess to “music delivery systems”! Let’s make a law that says everyone has to watch football on a nine-inch black-and-white TV. If we could do that (a man can dream), I predict football would be out of fashion by the end of the year (hooray)! So that brings us to streaming. Spotify is here to stay – well, at least streaming is (AOL once looked like it would dominate the email business forever). I would like to shift to what the company pays for its content. It fits really well with that crappy little “music delivery system.” Spotify’s payout rate is among the worst of all streaming services. Apple wanted to improve songwriter pay to $0.00091 per stream for all.
KACY & CLAYTON (continued from previous page)
to make people feel like they’re good. He’s very encouraging. Kacy: Our parents made music a priority, gave us lessons, and encouraged us to play shows. That’s a big part of it. Having the people around to encourage you. ‘Cuz we definitely weren’t setting our sights on showbiz. (Laughs.) RHSR: What’s psychedelic about your music? Clayton: I think maybe because it’s modal music and has a lack of chord changes without strictly major or minor chords, but rather something in between. When you play it with a band, it sounds psychedelic. RHSR: What’s the Canadian music scene like these days? Clayton: There’s lots of great bands. Our friend Evan Cheedle from British Columbia is great. Ellen Frays from Saskatoon is about to put out an album that Kacy produced. Kacy: Yeah, I wanted to be a part of it. It was interesting. I have good leadership skills because I was the volleyball captain, but I have a lot to learn as a producer. Clayton: Saskatchewan is small but very creative. A lot of people don’t tour, like this band Ride Till Dawn, who are from Saskatoon. Chris Slateholm from Regina. I think they both make great music. But there are lots of great bands who don’t travel as much because the provinces are so big; it’s quite spread out.
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Guess who helped shoot down that fair and decent proposal? Spotify and Amazon. Paul Vogel, Head of Global Financial Planning and Analysis and Investor Relations at Spotify, in 2016 claimed that “lower royalty rates are critical to Spotify’s future.” He added, “Lower royalty rates would allow Spotify to spend more on revenue growth drivers, which would result in more absolute revenue for everyone as well as for the company. . . . With lower royalty rates, we can develop a better product, and if we can develop a better product, more people will be willing to pay, the market will expand, and the total value to the entire ecosystem will grow.” Who the hell believes that? Trickle-down economics has been proven to be complete BS. Seriously, screw you. Below is the intro of the legal document from Apple submitted to the United States Copyright Royalty Judges (The Library of Congress). “Music has inherent value. It has value to the public, which benefits from listening to the creativity of artists. It has value to artists, not only as an outlet for their creativity, but as a source of financial support for their continued creation. And it it has value to the services like Apple Music, whose important role in innovatively bringing together the public and artists also must be recognized by any rate structure. The music compositions embodied in interactive streams are protected under the U.S. Copyright Act, and the publishers and songwriters who create these works have a constitutional right to be compensated for their use. The business model designed and used by a distributor of these musical works does not diminish the value of the music. In recognition of this fact, Apple is proposing an all-in royalty rate of $0.00091 per PUBLIC 2 stream (or 1/100th of the current rate for downloads) for all interactive streaming services. This rate is more favorable to copyright owners than the
RHSR: After that you have European dates in the UK and Holland. How are audiences different from place to place? Kacy: I don’t know because I’m different from place to place. Clayton: In Western Canada, we have bigger crowds and lots of people that we know, so it’s hard to gauge. We do a lot of tours opening for people. We constantly play the role of the band nobody’s ever heard of. When we’ve gone to the UK, we have some hardcores, especially balding men in their 50’s and 60’s. RHSR: When do you write songs, and what’s your process like? Clayton: This is our job, so when we’re at home, we have lots of time to work on songs. It’s just kind of a cycle of touring and writing. Kacy: It can be dangerous. Clayton: Yes, very dangerous. RHSR: Well, it seems like you have a good heads on your shoulders. Kacy: I have a large head that’s misshapen. I have to wear extra-large hats. But we don’t write songs together. It’s practical. If I’m sitting with Clayton, I’ll try to please him. Clayton: We share pretty well-formed song ideas with each other and get the other person’s editing or approval. Kacy: We both love approval, which is probably why we're doing this. RHSR: Well, you’re doing a good job!
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conversion rate used by Billboard for its Billboard 200 chart and is consistent with the UK Official Single Chart’s 100:1 ratio for converting streams to downloads.” This was the right move. But it is not happening. Apple is no saint to the music world either. CDs were still a viable music delivery system into your computer before Apple eliminated the disc drive, in part to drive music sales to iTunes (they’ll never cop to this theory), but that victory was short-lived as streaming was to take over at the same time. iTunes is going away as of… right now (fall of 2019); this will certainly produce hassles and several ramifications for musicians and true music lovers all around the world. You won’t lose the music you own when you get the new MacOS Catalina operating system. But, you will likely be confused and frustrated, which is not what listening to your music should be about.
Buy a record!
You know how to avoid all of this? Buy a stereo and purchase vinyl. It’s the 21st-century musical equivalent of going off grid. I don’t recommend this as your only music source. I have surrendered to Spotify and discover lots of new music there. One major record label president told me, “Look at Spotify as the new radio.” To be a music lover and have access to the biggest catalog of music you could imagine is tough to ignore. But they can choose to take away any of it away, any day they decide to do so. One of the benefits of streaming is it costs very little for an artist to release music there. Making 500 vinyl records will cost $2500 on the cheap side, and then mailing them out is not cheap! Be it that we are entering the holidays, I suggest we all bypass this mess; go see bands and gather around pianos with people from our towns and sings songs. It worked for hundreds of years and it can still work today.
RHSR: Do you think you’ve evolved as musicians? Clayton: I think because we play as a duo, and have only just started playing as a band, we’ve never had any rigid rules, which has allowed us to gradually and subtly change. We’ve kept pretty busy but have allowed different influences and band set ups, it’s allowed us to be flexible with our directions. Kacy: And I get bored pretty easy. We try to keep it fresh for our own sakes. RHSR: How do you pass the time when you’re not performing? What do you do to not be bored? Kacy: I like to have parties in my own brain in my house and then go on tour and have real parties, and then go home and have parties alone again. Clayton golfs and has a radio show. I play in a different band around where we live called the Waverly Pickers. It’s all girls from my grade school. We play country music at old folk’s homes. We’re pretty bad, but we don’t care. RHSR: Future aspirations? Kacy: I just want to do whatever I want all the time. That’s my goal. Laughs. It works out sometimes. Clayton: Yeah, just try to keep it going. Kacy & Clayton are on tour worldwide with Ray LaMontagne. For more information see their website: www.kacyandclayton.com To hear the complete interview with Kacy & Clayton and other artists, check out Mike Cobb’s podcast: https://www.mixcloud.com/MikeCobb/episode37-kacy-clayton/
December 2019, Page 35
REVUE MUSIC DECEMBER West Village Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St. 12/2 Gerry Weil, Pasquale Grasso; 12/3 Fred Hersch & Tony Malaby, Vocalist Vanisha Gould; 12/4 Burt Eckoff, Pianist Isaiah J. Thompson; 12/5 Ed Cherry, John DiMartino & Marcus McLaurine, Pianist Spike Wilner; 12/6 Scott Robinson & Frank Kimbrough; 12/7 Scott Robinson & Frank Kimbrough, Pianist Jon Davis; 12/8 Solo Piano Salon with Spike Wilner, Barbara Rosene & Jon Davis, Pianist Michael Kanan; 12/9 Burnett Thompson & Alex Blake, Guitarist Pasquale Grasso; 12/10 Fred Hersch & Ralph Alessi, Vocalist Naama Gheber; 12/11 Yaala Ballin & Michael Kanan, Pianist Ehud Asherie; 12/12 John Stetch, Marty Kenney & Philippe Lemm, Pianist Spike Wilner; 12/13 Dave Kikoski, Ed Howard & Victor Lewis, Pianist Willerm Delisfort; 12/14 Dave Kikoski, Ed Howard & Billy Hart, Pianist Eden Ladin; 12/15 Solo Piano Salon with Spike Wilner, Steven Feifke, Dan Chmielinski & TJ Reddick, Guitarist Chris Flory; 12/16 Richie Vitale, Samara Joy, Steve Ash & Paul Gill, Guitarist Pasquale Grasso; 12/17 Mike Lipskin, Dinah Lee, Dan Levinson & Kevin Dorn, Vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan; 12/18 James Weidman, Harvie S & Vince Ector, Pianist Nick Masters; 12/19 Nir Felder & Matt Penman, Pianist Spike Wilner; 12/20 Rossano Sportiello & Marion Felder; 12/21 Rossano Sportiello & Marion Felder, Pianist Jon Davis; 12/22 Solo Piano Salon with Spike Wilner, Sullivan Fortner, Guitarist Panas Athanatos; 12/23 Guitarist Pasquale Grasso; 12/25 Mike Clark, Jon Davis & Neal Caine; 12/26 Cynthia Sayer, Dennis Lichtman & Mike Weatherly, Pianist Spike Wilner ; 12/27 Michael Kanan, Greg Ruggiero & Neal Miner; 12/28 Michael Kanan, Greg Ruggiero & Neal Miner, Pianist Anthony Wonsey; 12/29 Solo Piano Salon with Spike Wilner, Mark Elf; 12/30 Frank Carlberg, Kim Cass & Michael Sarin, Guitarist Pasquale Grasso Smalls Jazz Club, 138 W 10th St. 12/2 Ari Hoenig Trio, Joe Farnsworth Quartet, Ben Barnett “After-hours”; 12/3 Steve Nelson Quartet, Abraham Burton Quartet, Malik McLaurine “After-hours”; 12/4 Lage Lund Quartet, Jimmy Macbride Quartet, Neal Caine “After-hours”; 12/5 Lage Lund Quartet, Luke Carlos O’Reilly Quintet, Malick Koly “After-hours”; 12/6 Quincy Davis Quintet, Jeremy Dutton, Corey Wallace DUBtet “After-hours”; 12/7 Quincy Davis Quintet, Jeremy Dutton, Brooklyn Circle; 12/8 Tommy Campbell & Vocal-Eyes, JC Stylles/Steve Nelson Quintet, Hillel Salem “After-hours”; 12/9 Dan Pugach Nonet, JD Allen Trio, Sean Mason “After-hours”; 12/10 Justin Robinson Quartet, Frank Lacy Band, Jon Elbaz “After-hours”; 12/11 Will Vinson Quartet, Jochen Rueckert Quar-
tet; 12/12 Will Vinson Quartet, Jochen Rueckert Quartet, Davis Whitfield “After-hours”; 12/13 Steve Kirby Group, Walt Weiskopf Quartet, Wallace Roney Jr. “After-hours”; 12/14 Steve Kirby Group, Walt Weiskopf Quartet, Mimi Jones and The Lab Session; 12/15 Tardo Hammer Trio, Ned oold Quartet, David Gibson “After-hours”; 12/16 Ari Hoenig Trio, Joe Farnsworth Quartet, Sean Mason “After-hours”; 12/17 Spike Wilner Trio, Abraham Burton Quartet, Malik McLaurine “After-hours”; 12/18 Tim Ries Quintet, Ray Blue Quintet, Neal Caine “After-hours”; 12/19 Ron McClure Group, Michael Stephans: Quartette Oblique, Malick Koly “After-hours”; 12/20 Dave Stryker Quartet, Steve Davis Quintet, Corey Wallace DUBtet “After-hours”; 12/21 Dave Stryker Quartet, Steve Davis Quintet, Brooklyn Circle; 12/22 David Gibson Quintet, Nick Hempton Band, Hillel Salem “After-hours”; 12/23 Camille Thurman Group, Marshall McDonald Jazz Project, Ben Barnett “After-hours”; 12/24 Steve Nelson Quartet, Frank Lacy Band, Jon Elbaz “After-hours”; 12/25 Reggie Watkins Quintet, Pat Bianchi Trio; 12/26 Vitaly Golovnev Quartet, Davis Whitfield “After-hours”; 12/27 Jack Walrath Quintet, Eric Wyatt “After-hours”; 12/28 Billy Mintz Band, Jack Walrath Quintet,
Of Others, ASC Blues Conspiracy; 12/14 Songwriter’s Deathmatch with host Dave Keener; 12/19 Will St. Raines and Brett Saxton; 12/20 Chris Q. Murphy & Friends; 12/21 Traditional Music Session, Mercantillers! Christmas Special, JJ’s Funky Groove; 12/27 The Cabinetmakers; 12/28 Knotshore Barbes, 376 9th St. 12/2 Brain Cloud, Green Mambo; 12/3 Slavic Soul Party; 12/4 The Mandingo Ambassadors; 12/6 The Crooked Trio; 12/7 MYK Freedman; 12/8 Stephane Wrembel; 12/9 Brain Cloud, NYC Gaita Club; 12/10 Slavic Soul Party; 12/11 The Mandingo Ambassadors; 12/13 The Crooked Trio; 12/14 MYK Freedman; 12/15 Stephane Wrembel; 12/17 Slavic Soul Party; 12/18 The Mandingo Ambassadors; 12/20 The Crooked Trio; 12/21 Low Mentality, MYK Freedman; 12/22 Stephane Wrembel; 12/23 Brain Cloud; 12/25 The Mandingo Ambassadors; 12/27 The Crooked Trio; 12/28 MYK Freedman; 12/29 Stephane Wrembel; 12/30 Bulla En El Barrio; 12/31 Slavic Soul Party
Lower East Side Drom, 85 Avenue A 12/3 Berra VeNashira; 12/4
Artist Feature: JAIMIE BRANCH by Kyle OIeksiuk; courtesy NYC Jazz Record
Explosive trumpeter, daring free improviser, inspired composer: Jaimie Branch, who joined the New York jazz scene in 2015, is all of these and more. Most recently, she's also the talented bandleader of Fly or Die, a quartet of cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Chad Taylor. Branch's second album with the band, Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, was released in October on International Anthem to deserved acclaim. Branch's Fly or Die is at Pioneer Works Dec. 16th. Mimi Jones and The Lab Session; 12/29 Josh Bruneau Quintet, Tad Shull Quartet, Hillel Salem “After-hours”; 12/30 Lucas Pino Nonet, Ari Hoenig Trio, Ben Barnett “After-hours”; 12/31 Jon Elbaz “After-hours”
Park Slope Freddy’s Bar, 625 5th Ave 12/3 Lee Taylor; 12/4 The Push and Pull; 12/6 X-Mas PrtA, Dorothy and Shu; 12/7 Laura Z. and Little Tree, The Branchbreakers, The Sonic Power Pops, Mercury Matinee; 12/8 TurDucken; 12/10 Mara Kaye; 12/12 Andi Rae and The Back River Bullies Xmas Xtravaganza; 12/13 Dylan Lane Syndicate; 12/13 The Band
Page 36 Red Hook Star-Revue
Pueblo Gitanos, Toni Menage; 12/5 El Pollo Brito; 12/6 The Alpacas Fundraisers Concert, Hot Rabbit; 12/7 The Soft Parade; 12/8 The New York Harmonics, Cristian Allexis y Urbanova; 12/10 Silver Arrow band, iStandard Competition; 12/11 NY Gypsy All-Stars, The Vibe Sessions; 12/13 Crosstown Vocal, DJ Bill Coleman; 12/14 Krassimir Avramov; 12/15 Issac Delgado; 12/20 Groove Collective; 12/22 American Nomads; 12/26 Yannis Pappas; 12/27 Sensor Heads, Greek Rock Story; 12/28 Sebnem Ferah; 12/29 SPAGA, New Aires Tango; 12/31 Sebnem Ferah Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. 12/3 Vancouver Sleep Clinic;
12/4 Immigrant Gala; 12/5 Eric Rachmany; 12/6 Chadwick Stokes & the Pintos; 12/7 Morgan Evans; 12/10 Leif Vollebekk; 12/11 Kat Cunning; 12/12 Bailen; 12/13 Zimmer; 12/14 Eugene Hutz, Debbie Harry, Jesse Malin, Fred Armisen; 12/15 High Time; 12/16 Adam Lambert; 12/19 Jesse Malinl 12/20 Kevin Devine & Goddamn Band; 12/21 Kevin Devine & the Goddamn Band; 12/22-29 Yo La Tengo; 12/30 Sammy Adams Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery 12/1 FPA, Sonny Step, Jelani Sei, Mari; 12/3 Patrick and the Swayzees; 12/4 Sweet Lorraine, LJA, Walter Lure and the Waldos; 12/5 Beth Million, Flock of Indifference, Bill Popp and the Tapes, Hampus Svard, Brother Moses with Myfever and Ritual Talk; 12/6 Roomful of Sky; 12/7 Giveapalooza; 12/8 JSwiss, Postcard with Blain Keating, Christeene, Electric Machine Gun Tits; 12/9 Kellindo, Aofine; 12/10 The Ego, Octopus The Band; Tristan Cappel, Jon Wallett & Gary Daylos; 12/11 Agnostic Front & Sick Of It All; 12/12 Cheeto Dust, Cyberattack, Wool Sucker, Tin Fingers, Simon Garrett, Eli Musser, A Jersey Club Party with DJ Fade; 12/14 Pomelo Nights; 12/15 Funk U Up, So Sensitive, Metacara, Elisa Coia; 12/16 Danny P’ 12/17 Joh the Word, Johnnie Gilmore, Casual Fantastic, Annie Nirschel and Union Street; 12/18 The Blackwells, Dylan Roddick; 12/19 Sumeau. The Clay Pigeons, Red Grenadines, Sick Sticks; 12/20 Dave Chiappetta and Steadfast Charlie, GNatural, Doubleday; 12/21 Kind of Blue, Def & The Swagmatics, Chris and the Fitzgeralds; 12/22 The Jist, Tydy, Royal Baby, Jelly Bears The Band and N. Boulevard; 12/23 Monte, Incircles, Terminal Fury; 12/28 Caleb Caming & The Heat, Morningside Lane, Divine AF, Natalie Asport; 12/29 The Flow 2020 Launch Party Mercury Lounge, 217 E Houston 12/2 Quinton Mongaif, Lil Keyu; 12/3 The Warning; 12/4 Bright Light, The Warning; 12/5 B. Miles, Tommy London; 12/6 The Blackfires, Odezenne; 12/7 PLVTINUM; 12/8 Alice Kristiansen, Green and Glass Single; 12/9 Maelyn, Motherhood; 12/10 Sea Girls, The End of America, Sunday Gravy; 12/11 Emarosa, The Full Moon Show; 12/12 Aaron Taos, Baby Dayliner; 12/13 Jon Daly, Stalley, My Chemical Romance; 12/14 Thank You Scientist; 12/15 Mike’s Dead, Ryan Oakes, Charming Liars; 12/16 Paul Williams; 12/17 Eddy Lee Rydr, ABG Neal; 12/18 Zach Heckendorf, Plane Station, Kindergarten DOG; 12/19 KidEyes, Zoo Rass & Friends; 12/20 eevee brothel, MINGO, Nick Neutronz, b2b Djedi; 12/21 Friends at the Falls; 12/22 Wanderer’s Soul, Zach Russack, Olive & the Pitz, Late Night Thoughts, Holden Miller; 12/23 Xian Paul, Chateau D’lf, Andrew Kaneb; 12/27 Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls, Annie
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Trezza; 12/28 David Wax Museum, Light Up The Night; 12/29 Alin Bay, Phish Afterparty; 12/30 Yarn; 12/31 French Horn Rebellion Lola, 169 Avenue A 12/7 The Blushing Brides Original Tribute to the Rolling Stones; 12/11 The Only 70’s Joel, Uptown Girl Holiday Spectacular with Don DiLego & The Touristas; 12/15 Adam Turley, Adam Masterton, Kids That Fly; 12/21 Skunkmello, Victor Frankenstein The Dance, 428 Lafayette St. 12/3 Sloppy Jane with Sweet Baby Jesus, Water From Your Eyes; 12/4 Hoops With Sedona, Purr; 12/5 Wiki With Blair; 12/6 MixPac 10 year anniversary party; 12/7 Brodinski; 12/12 TNGHT; 12/13 Arthur with Caleb Giles, Baby Sosa; 12/17 Model/ Actriz; 12/18 Dots Per Inch Holiday Party with LUCY, Lily & Horn Horse, The Beach
Williamsburg Pete’s Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St. 12/2 Jocelyn Mackenzie, Jason Anderson, Jeff Lewis; 12/3 Joan as Police Woman, Aoife O’Donovan, Bridget Kearney; 12/4 Medicine Woman; 12/5 Food Will Win the War, Damn Tall Buildings, Howard Fishman Quartet; 12/6 The Chapin Sisters, Roulette Sisters. Big Lazy; 12/7 The Karl Meyer Trio, Lizzie and The Makers, Juiliana Nash, Benjamin Cartel, Milton, Vic Thrill, Rushad Eggleston; 12/8 Mick Hargan, Margot MacDonald, Bandits On The Run; 12/9 King of Nowhere, Michael Chinworth, Brad Wilson; 12/10 Keeping It Fresh, Will Taylor, Liz Lieber, Stephen Artemis; 12/11 Tim Kuhl, Callaz; 12/12 Jonas Family, Lydia Granered; 12/13 Dominick DiMaria, Marcellus Hall, Life Inc; 12/14 Jesse Dylan, Rikki Will Band, Albis, Ed Romanoff, Andrew Vladeck, The Christmas Show; 12/15 The Biryani Boys, Lyle Brewer, Coke Kamen-Green; 12/16 Nina Lee, Sean Spada, Stephen Perry; 12/17 Mimi Oz, Tal Yahalom, Bold Forbes; 12/18 Means/ Ways, Future Relics; 12/19 Jeff McErlain, Center For Whatever, Alice Lee; 12/20 Kweendon, A Crystal O, Buck and A Quarter Quartet, Taylor Otwell and The Tin Cans; 12/21 Debby Schwartz, Dave Foster, Rembert Block, Lily Taylor, Shelly Thomas; 12/22 Midnight Drive, Open Mic, The Winter Court, Sofia Kapur, Cate Von Csoke; 12/23 Annika Bennett, MMCM, Benjamin Furman; 12/26 100 Year Party Court; 12/27 Melissa Mary Ahern; 12/28 Katie Glasgow, Eva Frishberg; 12/29 Unreasonable Hours Band; 12/30 John Shannon Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe St. 12/2 The National Reserve & Daddy Long Legs; 12/3 Dexter Lake Club Band; 12/4-7 The Hold Steady; 12/8 Damn The Torpedoes; 12/9 The Brooklyn
Bluegrass Collective; 12/10 Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution; 12/11 John the Martyr; 12/13 Anders Osborne; 12/14 Andres Osborne; 12/17 Felicia Collins; 12/18 Ocupado + The New Tartot + The Values; 12/20 Rebirth: Brass Band, Gimmie Gimmie; 12/21 Rebirth Brass Band; 12/26 The Englishtown Project; 12/27 Steel Pulse; 12/28 Steel Pulse, Just Cudi; 12/29 Deer Tick; 12/3031 St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Harlem Gospel Travelers, DJ Eli Reed Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave 12/2 UFO Fev. Statik Selektah, Nems, Remi Lewis; 12/3 Justend, Akari, Marcus Charles; 12/4 Current Swell, Carmanah, Between Giants; 12/6 Striking Matches, San Junipero - A Retrowave Party; 12/7 The Fall of Troy, Kaonashi, Tiny Gun, Body Grief; 12/8 Into the Woods; 12/9 Aaron Waldman, Consumables, Kleio; 12/10 Stimmerman, Tiny Gun, Nihiloceros; 12/12 Ces Cadaveres; 12/13 Jump, Little Children; 12/14 Jump Little Children, The Queen Ball; 12/15 Santa Hat; 12/17 Brian Courtney Wilson; 12/19 Head North, Bogues, Strawberry Blonde, Figure Eight; 12/20 Tall Juan; 12/21 Fiona Silver, Bird Streets, Phutureprimitive; 12/26 Runaway Gin; 12/27 Bumpin Uglies, Joey Harkum, Bunktown Falls; 12/30 Hypnotic Brass, DJ Pudgemental; 12/31 Cloud Nothings, Field Mouse, Patio Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N 6th St. 12/3-4 The Rapture; 12/6 Ezra Collective; 12/8 Crooked Still; 12/10 Battles; 12/11 Djo; 12/12 Mr. Carmack; 12/15 TURNOVER & Men I Trust; 12/18 Ryan Leslie; 12/19 Sun Kil Moon; 12/20 Puss N Boots; 12/31 Reignwolf NYE Union Pool, 484 Union Ave. 12/2 Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir; 12/3 Pale Ramon, Jeff Taylor, Miles Francis; 12/6 Bad Santas; 12/7 Emily Yacina, Ondine, Castle Pasture; 12/8 Kevin Hufnagel, Ryan A. Miller, Desertion Trio, Harvey Valdes; 12/9 Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir; 12/11 Immortal Bird, Glorious Depravity; 12/12 Lomelda; 12/13 Annie Hart, Drew Citron; 12/15 Hello Phones, Green Dragon, Nefarious Pow; 12/16 Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir; 12/17 Dan Iead’s Adult Party; 12/18 POP1280, Whimm, Cube; 12/23 Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir; 12/30 Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir
Queens Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave 12/6 Eamon Harkin and OR:LA; 12/7 Beta Librae, Urulu and Dreemseed; 12/8 Work In Progress with Ciel, CCL and Voices; 12/13 DJ Python and PLO Man; 12/14 Physical Therapy and Jubilee; 12/15 Mister Sunday
December 2019
REVUE MUSIC DECEMBER
Indoors: Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin; 12/20 Roi Perez; 12/21 Shyboi, Ariel Zetina and Ren G; 12/22 Honcho; 12/27 Shy Eyez & A Made Up Sound; 12/28 FNV and Danny Daze; 12/29 Soul Summit; 12/31 Nonstop: New Years Trans Pecos, 915 Wyckoff Ave
12/2 Jeff Rosenstock; 12/4 A Mark Fletcher Studio Benefit; 12/6 Common Holly; 12/7 Jelly Kelly; 12/8 Babes All Rock Fest; 12/12 Jeff Rosenstock; 12/15 Stove, Mister Goblin, Pet Fox, Dig Nitty; 12/16 Jeff Rosenstock
Bushwick The Sultan Room, 234 Starr St. 12/2 Tim Blake, Ryan Ferreira, Mike Lewis, JT Bates; 12/3 Arthur Moon, Lau Noah; 12/4 Gabriel Birnbaum, Katie Von Schleicher, Uni Ika Ai; 12/6 Ani Cordero, Abraham Dorta, Sailor Boom; 12/7 Phile Magazine, Sacha Robotti; 12/8 Tredici Bacci & Brett Davis; 12/10 Les Filles De Montréal: Naya Ali, Sophia Bel, Claudia Bouvette; 12/11 Meadows, Noia; 12/12 The Nude Party, Native Sun, Dropper; 12/13
Wondershow, Matt Carey, Indobeats, Newpy Hundo; 12/14 Haley Heynderickx, Tre Burt; 12/15 J.R. Bohannon, Sondra Sun-Odeon; 12/17 Good God: Dan St. Germain, Emmy Blotnick, Steven Castillo, Dylan Adler; 12/18 Deyo, Modern Diet; 12/19 Navidad Tropitronica 3: Balun, Now vs Now, $enor $in $exo; 12/20 Bohan Phoenix Backed By Jachary, Duvy, DJ Boogie Smalls
New Years 2020 New York City
Elsewhere Bar Chord, 1008 Cortelyou Road 12/2 Jack Grace; 12/3 Junkbucket; 12/4 Jeremy Danneman & The Down On Me; 12/5 Stan Mitchell; 12/6 Jake G & The Soul Vibrance; 12/7 Craig Greyer & Friends; 12/8 Cortelyou Jazz Jam; 12/9 Whiskey Bumps; 12/10 David Stern; 12/11 Big Eyed Rabbit; 12/12 Hot Hand Band; 12/13 Hugh Pool Band; 12/14 Superyamba Band; 12/15 Cortelyou Jazz Jam; 12/16 Songs on Cortelyou; 12/17 John Pinamonti; Franglais; 12/19 FolkFoot; 12/20 A Very Dubby Christmas with Superhifi; 12/21 Algebra & Friends; 12/22 Cortelyou Jazz Jam
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December 2019, Page 37
On Food The Longshoreman makes a comeback
S
itting across from Manhattan on Columbia Street, The Longshoreman, founded by Michelle Ewan and Lisa Ditwiler over a year ago, is restaurant that aspires to reach back into Carroll Gardens’ proud history. “We’ve tried to bring our love of Italy and Italian culture into the making of The Longshoreman,” says Michelle.
They banter back and forth as I listened, eager to hear more. Wearing an apron, Lisa is the creative force of the two while Michelle is the quantitative force. At the core of the restaurant’s success is their partnership, their openness and trust. They are family to each other. And as any Italian knows, great food is made of more than just ingredients. It’s made with love: love of family, love of friends.
by Mike Fiorito and Nino Pantano my Dad and my Uncle Cologero (Kelly) in 1947 during the great blizzard on December 26, 1947. My father walked from our house on 83rd Street and 15th Avenue near Bay Ridge to the shoe store. He slept there for a week and sold galoshes, boots and snowshoes. He said he stopped at 10 bars and had 10 shots of whiskey to survive the trip. We had over two feet of snow in about 12 hours that day, and the city was frozen over. Ironically in 1987, my wife Judy and I moved to the new condos at Columbia Street across the street from my father’s old shoe store. Decades before, my
The Longshoreman finds the right balance between honoring an older neighborhood of Brooklyn and bringing something new to it as well. After all, what makes New York City so vibrant are changes brought in by people from other places. New York City has always been a place that people create.
“It’s funny, people come into the restaurant to show us pictures of what the space looked like fifty years ago,” adds Michelle. “They even bring us pastries from Staten Island, from Brooklyn.” “The space was once a shoe store,” says Michelle showing me a picture one of the old-timers brought to her. Now passing a picture to me of the original Longshoreman, she adds, “And of course, this is the restaurant that the neighborhood knew and loved.”
"Old-timer" Nino Pantano joins this article to reminisce about the past I recall as a child that my father Santo (Sam) had a shoe store at that location. He had a X-Ray machine and all the kids would use it to see their feet. Later on, it was banned because of X-Ray exposure.
Next door was the Happy Hour movie theater. I have a photo of my Dad with a soldier who assisted him in the store with a partial view of the Happy Hour. Behind them, the theater marquee showed that The Green Hornet was being featured. The other theater, The Luna, would show the silent film, Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings. at Easter time. I believe Jack Warner portrayed Jesus in this remarkable film. When I attended St. Francis College on Court and Butler Streets, I would walk to my father’s shoe store on Columbia Street. He moved to 235 from 215 Columbia Street. The famed Columbia Street Clock was in front of the Florsheim Shoe Store. The famed Gallo boys would occasionally walk in and “do some business.” My father told my kid brother Robert to help Joey Gallo with his shoes and Robert, ever defiant, said loudly to Joey, “I’m not helping you, you’re a crook.” My father Sam tried to stifle Robert but Joey, ever gallant and into Sartre, said, “Sam, Leave the kid alone, I am a crook!” and they all had a good laugh. I remember the pushcarts with fish, calamari, vegetables and fruits. My brother Frank would also assist
Page 38 Red Hook Star-Revue
The House of Pizza & Calzone, whose owners John and Onofrio, served us pizza, meatball heroes and great calzones. It still welcomes us with Paul Di Augustino and staff. Who needs Manhattan when we have great Italian food here? Bruce Springsteen had fresh mozzarellas sent to him from Joe Balzano’s Latticini Barese on Union Street. Springsteen’s family was mostly Italian and treasured these delicious foods from South Brooklyn. In the 1970s, the sewer project left a deep trench for years on Columbia Street. Robert Moses, the master builder of highways at the time, had his expressways desecrate many structures and neighborhoods and the Columbia Street, Red Hook, South Brooklyn neighborhoods were a mess.
“When the shit hits the fan,” says Michelle, “we come together.”
“This is the thing. We have a modern Italian menu. Kevin Niccoli, our chef, mixes up old and new. We make our pasta fresh in-house. Prosciutto di Parma, Margherita pizzas. A half chicken. We even have a hamburger on the menu. But what really gets me is how we’ve become a place people come to find comfort. Single women, married wives getting away from their husbands for a few drinks with their friends. Families. People who’ve lived in the neighborhood all their lives. And people new to the neighborhood.”
customers good Sicilian fare since 1904 with visits from many film stars and personalities. Pasta con le sarde, panelles and vlastede were sold even when the neighborhood was in wreckage.
My Uncle Kelly was passing the old neighborhood and saw the wreckers ball descending on the old Florsheim shoe store. He told the construction crew to stop. He did the sign of the cross and sadly nodded for them to continue.
Nino Pantano's father, outside of his shoestore that was relocated to 215 Columbia Street in the 1950's.
Uncle Kelly befriended Virgilio SantaMaria, whose photography studio was on the top floor of the shoe store. Virgilio was a distinguished old man who told me of the great tenor Enrico Caruso who visited his studio. My uncle “Kelly” would chat with Virgilio’s cousin Enrico, who was a scientist and worked on the Atomic bomb. He told Kelly, “Your longshoremen live better than I do!” He was the great scientist Enrico Fermi. I also met Mondo the midget. There used to be a photo of Mondo with the pet lion adopted by the Gallo boys. Mondo, who was really a dwarf, was a gangster wannabe, and his job was to feed the lion. I saw him one day standing in the window next to Cafiero’s Restaurant and I shook his hand as we exchanged cordial greetings. A photo of Mondo and the lion adorned many a window in the neighborhood. Marilyn Monroe and her husband, writer Arthur Miller, who lived in Brooklyn Heights at the time, dined at Cafiero’s. We met “Sharkey” as he was called, the son of Cafiero, who told us that a customer went to his father to compliment him on having such a fine waiter as his son and he was giving him a gift. The gift was two tickets to see Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera in Pagliacci. When Sharkey was 90, he was interviewed with me on Live at Five on Channel 4 in a special on my Enrico Caruso show. Frank Sacco owned Sacco’s department store (dry goods store as it used to be called) and Bobby Russo was a salesman in the store. Bobby, a very popular neighborhood fixture, is a great fountain of stories about the good old days. The bank was on the corner of Columbia and Union Street. Sessa learned his lessons from Giannini’s Bank in San Francisco that did not fail during the earthquake in 1906 and was the mentor banker savior to many on Columbia Street during the depression. Many puppeteers and actors were sustained by Sessa’s bank. Today the former bank is a pre-K school run by the Department of Education. Ferdinando’s Foccaceria has been feeding its
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Uncle Kelly lived to visit our home, see Columbia Street reborn and he always enjoyed going to Fairway. He died at almost 100 years of age and always spoke of old Columbia Street. My Dad passed in 1993 and he too, was happy to see us settled across the street from his old home turf. The shoe stores supported my Dad Santo, Mom Marie, brothers Frank and Robert, sisters Maryann and Linda and we all went to Cafiero’s once for a grand Italian Sunday dinner outdoors. Very rare for our family because my grandmother’s Sunday dinner was like paradise. My grandparents Antonio and Rosalia loved Cafiero’s which is now an artists loft and studio. I still envision Marilyn Monroe exiting onto President Street. What a blessing this neighborhood was and still is. The ghosts of the past provide every gentle breeze and the holdouts are shrines. We are blessed to be living on Columbia Street. We are now the “oldtimers” in this neighborhood immortalized by Arthur Miller in his masterpiece A View from the Bridge. Red Hook, South Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens truly prove, in memory, what Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliette: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet!”
Nino remembers more
I might have forgotten this story about 215 Columbia Street – it was a really good Italian restaurant run by a neighborhood icon who was called Punchy. We went there to celebrate my pregnant daughter-in-law's birthday on July 11, 2003. After a delicious dinner, Tanya suddenly began getting labor pains and our son Marcello took her Methodist Hospital where she gave birth to our beautiful granddaughter Leeza now 16. Years later, we saw the former owner of 215 who exclaimed, "Is that my Goddaughter?" And he told his friends that my granddaughter was practically born in his restaurant. The other restaurant he owned/managed was Casa Rosa on Court Street. He was very well known and a popular figure in the neighborhood and was my granddaughter's unofficial "Godfather." Many show-biz and Hollywood celebrities sent autographed pictures which adorned the walls of 215. The next owner was a young innovative Italian American named Dean who really cooked with finesse, flair and ingenuity for a year or two. We would often dine there with our son Marcello and
(continued on next page) December 2019
The Healthy Geezer by Fred Cicetti
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Q. How common is elder abuse?
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Almost four times as many new incidents of abuse, neglect, and/or self-neglect were not reported as those that were reported and substantiated by public authorities.
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All 50 states have elder-abuse prevention laws and have set up reporting systems. Adult Protective Services (APS) agencies investigate reports of suspected elder abuse. To report elder abuse, contact your APS office. You can find the telephone numbers at the website operated by The National Adult Protective Services Association. Go to: http://www. napsa-now.org/
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The APS agency keeps calls confidential. If the agency decides there may be a law violation, it assigns a caseworker to investigate. If the victim needs crisis intervention, services are available. If elder abuse is not substantiated, most APS agencies will work with other community agencies to get necessary social and health services.
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The senior has the right to refuse services offered by APS. The APS agency provides services only if the senior agrees or has been declared incapacitated by the court and a guardian has been appointed. What is elder abuse? It can take a variety of forms: physical, sexual, emotional and financial. Neglect of an older person also is within the umbrella of elder abuse. One of the most common types of elder abuse is self-neglect. Self-neglect often occurs in older adults who have declining health, are isolated or depressed, or who abuse drugs or alcohol. If you're concerned an older adult might need help, these are symptoms to look for: •
Physical injury such as a bruise, cut, burn, rope mark, sprain or broken bone;
•
Refusal of the caregiver to allow you to visit the older person alone.
•
Indications of dehydration, malnourishment, weight loss and poor hygiene.
•
Negative behavior such as agitation, withdrawal, expressions of fear or apathy.
•
Unexplained changes in finances.
longshoreman (continued from previus page)
our family and also our neighbors Fred and Tracy Bennett. Fred, a wonderful friend and neighbor recently passed away but such nice memories. I can only hope the new owners at 215 adorn their foods with such love and flavor as their esteemed predecessors!
Red Hook Star-Revue
www.star-revue.com
December 2019, Page 39
THREE PAGES OF STORIES AND PICTURES, STARTING PAGE 34
Exclusive Interview With Folksinger Greg Brown
What happened to all the protest songs? Jack Grace wonders Long Ryders, Don Dixon and Marti Jones, Highwomen, Les Sans Culottes and Nick Lowe George Grella on Jason Moran Show
Does NYC really need graveyards page 19 and golf courses? ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Yates, page 3
Special Home Improvement Section pages 32-35
THE INSIDE STORY BEHIND THE RISE OF THE FORTIS TOWERS PAGES 3,4,5,6
FREE
HOTD0G AND MUSTARD BY MARC JACKS0N AND THEY WeT-NOSED PAL, H0TDOG. CALL Me
MUSTARD!
H
TH0UGH.
A critical review M M starts page 33
pages 15-26
Meet the New Pioneer Works Residents! page 13
STAR REVUE
INSIDE: GOING ORTHODOX … ON THE QUEER WATERFRONT … JULIUS CEASAR MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE … THE BIG LINGUINI … THE QUESTION AUTHORITY BROOKLYN FOLK FEST … IAN FELICE … THE SADIES … OZARK HIGHBALLERS
April 2019, Page 15
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Red Hook Star-Revue
#1
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE THAT’S N0T BECAUSe HE’S
iT’S BeCAUSE eACH PANEL IS 0NLY TWO AND HALF iNCHeS HIGH SO THeRE IS LiTERALLY N0 R0OM FOR HiM!
eMBARRASSED IN A C0MiC OR ANYTHING...
TO BE
M
Irish Parade at Rocky’s page 37
M
BQX Lobbying page 9
Mama D's perfect night out is a perfect night in
2019
©COPYRIGHT 2019 MARC JACKSON AND WEiRD0 COMiCS
STAR REVUE T
AUGUST 2019
INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
by Roderick Thomas
here are a ton of parties that spring up (and disappear) throughout the city. In New York, plenty of weekends FREE 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 bar-hopping, but feeling upbeat enough for a night out, head over to a new event that will give you all the takeout, with Netflix in bed feelings, while curing your FOMO. Imagine all-night cocktails and gourmet treats, lounge chairs and movies, its Mama D’s Sneaky Speakeasy.
NEW RENT RULES
HOOK SPICES UP
Special “FIND THE PRESIDENT” issue
Diana Mino is a gourmet chef, photographer, com community organizer and total cinephile, but who is SpeakMama D and what the heck are her Sneaky Speak easies?
plus
pages 8-9
page 30
Mama D: [laughs] Well, Mama D is Diana, that’s me. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, in the ruru ral suburbs. They were originally farms, so there’s a tiny country girl in me. Don’t get me wrong though, the moment I could make it to New York, I said “bye! Hello NYC.”
Mystery of Beard Street
Lady Terriers and PAVE Squash back page
Roderick: Tell me about your Sneaky Speakeasy.
and
Mama D: Mama D’s Sneaky Speakeasy is a host of
events throughout the month that brings artists, music, food and film together for a great party.
ity. On a scale of Rachel Ray to Anthony Bourdain, she’s somewhere in the middle.
My first night at Mama D’s Sneaky Speakeasy, I arrived at the venue, inconspicuously located in a gem of an area called Bushwood, a name for the not-so-famous Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn border. I walked up to the tall brown doors. “I’m here” I texted. Outside of the cozy establishment, I stood waiting and listening to the muffled chatter of guests and then Mama D opened the door. In front of me was a smiling young woman, petite but with a strong and comedic personal-
Inside was a well-decorated scene. The walls were covered with art, red brick and blackboards. I stared at the perfectly placed cocktail glasses, sprinkling light over the neon bar; it was like I walked onto a set of an HBO show. As I took a sip of my first cocktail and sank into one of Mama D’s pillowy couches, the evening was off to a great start.
Interview page 25
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The plan pledges public subsidies to spur the transformation of shopping malls into offices, indoor recreation centers, or schools. (In 2014, Highland Mall in Texas became an Austin Community College campus.) Yang explains that, due to the prevalence of e-commerce, 300 malls will likely close in the next four years, leaving behind millions of square feet of blight. The text of the proposal begins in an elegiac tone, describing an apparently bygone era: “Malls used to be a hub for socialization and commerce in many American communities. They were where families would go shopping for school supplies before grabbing dinner and catching a movie. Teens would have their first jobs working retail there and spend their Friday nights with friends.”
IAL SPECTION SEC S 28-31
Beer at Svendale, page 19 PLUS Garland Jeffries and lots more in our new
SECTION 2
1
by Brett Yates
n television, the Democratic candidate Andrew Yang has for the past year run a single-issue campaign for president in 2020, centering a promised universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 a month for every adult in the United States. His website, however, lists about 200 additional policy proposals, the most novel of which may be the American Mall Act, which aims to find new uses for defunct suburban retail space.
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SEPTEMBER 2019
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In a way, the Yang campaign’s nostalgia for shopping malls is more striking than any statistic about tough times in the Amazon-dominated retail market. Not long ago, these sleek consumerist temples symbolized America’s disquieting future of sterile corporate capitalism. Built on the outskirts of cities, they hollowed out historic, mixed-use downtowns, replacing them with false town squares – reachable only by car – where teenagers, mistaking them for public space, contended with private security forces whenever they asserted their right to exist without buying something. Main streets shuttered; local cultures died.
2 LIVE Music Every Friday and Saturday Award Winning Burgers Great Wings
Now we have a new dystopia to worry about: robot-powered fulfillment centers, operated by an all-powerful megacorporation that looks to control every single retail transaction in a country where, thanks to online shopping, going outside and interacting with other humans have become optional. To some, shopping malls feel quaint and communal by comparison.
Primark is an Irish-based low cost fashion retailer with a big presence in Brooklyn's only 3 true indoor mall. (Photo by George Fiala) za – at Brooklyn’s southeast corner, in as I wandered its incomprehensible low-density Mill Basin – operates as geography for a couple hours. a destination unto itself, with a mas- Alongside the notable additions of sive parking garage attached. In other European fast-fashion retailers Zara Brooklyn is all about words, it doesn’t complement a tradi- and Primark (which, for instance, tional pedestrian shopping district; it sells faux-leather chukka boots for theblending cultures. exists instead of one. frighteningly low price of $24),We’re theall about blending
Kings Plaza is the largest indoor mall in Brooklyn. In the suburban sense of term, it’s the only true indoor mall in Brooklyn: while newer multi-level urban retail developments like Atlantic Terminal and City Point situate themselves within the cityscape, Kings Pla-
Having not shopped at a mall in years, I visited Kings Plaza to see what one looks like in the year 2019. To my surprise, it looks almost exactly like the shopping malls where I used to hang out as a teenager: eerily so, in fact. It brought back plenty of awful memories
Global Cuisine at Jam’It Bistro same old clothing stores from 15 years ago – American Eagle, Aeropostale, Express, Hollister Co. – are still blasting pop music and perfume at adolescent shoppers. The salespeople at Foot Locker are still costumed as referees.
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(continued on page 7)
PAGE
New this month...
PIOTR'S PICKS!
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
SEE PAGE 33 Profile: Freddy’s proprietor Donald O’Finn page 19
What does Red Hook think of Michele? page 14
Local Pol makes Daily News Front Page page 8
Don't miss a single 2020 issue...
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he Star-Revue was first published in June, 2010. That means that by the time the month is over we will be in our 10th year! We started out as the local paper of record for Red Hook, a community that seemed to be very underserved by any sort of media at all. Which seemed strange since it is one of the city's more interesting neighborhoods, with a rich history and diverse population. We did our job, we think, as now Red Hook is well covered by all sorts of media: blogs, other local newspapers and mainstream magazines and newspapers. This is the publisher, George writing this, and I would like to say that I grew up reading newspapers and listening to record albums. One thing I never switched over to as technology advanced was buying single songs on iTunes (I never bought 45's either, actually). I believe that albums were often generally well thought out pieces of music meticulously arranged by the creators to be heard in a certain order. So I always bought the complete mp3 albums, and listened to them that way. In much the same way, I believe that a newspaper can have a personality and a rhythm to it. When the Village Voice completely ceased publication, I felt that the city experienced a loss. The Voice was kind of a cool publication that appealed to a certain type of native New Yorker and actually helped defined NYC coolness. I'm not saying that this paper comes anywhere close to the Voice in its heyday, but that's the general idea as we evolve from a strictly local neighborhood publication. I've been hearing some nice comments lately about our slow transition, so I'm thinking that some of you might actually feel like paying to make sure you get each issue in the mail. So that's why we're now offering mail subscriptions. And as always, thanks for reading!!!
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