Red Hook Star-Revue, March 2019 by George Fiala

the red hook

30 STORY TOWERS COMING TO SMITH ST. SEE PAGE 3 FREE

RED HOOKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW BUILDINGS

STAR REVUE

MARCH 2019 chronicling Red Hook and the world beyond

A critical review starts page 33

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

ARTS pages 15-26

HOOK SPICES UP page 30

NEW RENT RULES pages 8-9

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The Red Hook Star-Revue is published monthly. Founded June 2010.

Community Telephone Numbers: Red Hook Councilman

Carlos Menchaca (718) 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (718) 492-6334 State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (718) 643-6140 Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander (718) 499-1090 Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin (718) 875-5200 CB6 District Manager Michael Racioppo (718) 643-3027 76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone (718) 834-3211 Community Affairs (718) 834-3207 Traffic Safety (718) 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center, 380 Court Street (718) 596-1956 Miccio Center, 110 East 9th Street (718) 243-1528 Red Hook East Dev. Office, 62 Mill St (718) 852-6771 Red Hook West Dev. Office, 55 Dwight St. (718) 522-3880 NYCHA Satellite Police Precinct, 80 Dwight St. Main Phone (718) 265-7300 Community Affairs (718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence (718) 265-7310 Youth Officer (718) 265-7314 Red Hook NCOs Damien Clarke — Damien.Clarke@nypd. org; (929) 287-7155 Jonathan Rueda — Jonathan.Rueda@nypd. org — 917-941-2185

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

Compiled by Erin DeGregorio

6 WED Voice your concerns, ask ques�ons and meet the police captain at the 76th Precinct Community Council mee�ng. It’ll take place 7:30-9 pm at the 76th Precinct (191 Union St.). Hot Woods Art will hold their monthly ﬁgure drawing session ($10 cost). It’ll be held 7-10 pm at 481 Van Brunt St., 9B.

Ongoing: Mondays – Jalopy Theatre and School of Music (315 Columbia St.) host their weekly Open Mic Night every Monday, 8:30-11 pm. Sign up in person by 9 pm. Performance order will be drawn at random at 9 pm sharp. Each performer gets two songs or eight minutes.

12 TUES

Tuesdays – Professional dancers teach free dance workshops every Tuesday, 6-8 pm, at the Red Hook Jus�ce Center (88 Visita�on Pl.).

13 WED Community Board 6’s general

Wednesdays – Brooklyn Crochets for a Cause: Homeless Outreach is held every Wed., 10 am12 pm, at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon St.). Par�cipants crochet hats, mi�ens, scarves and sweaters that’ll be donated to individuals who are homeless (yarn’s provided free of charge).

Join neighbors to hear updates regarding Red Hook West and voice any concerns or ask ques�ons of TA President Lillie Marshall at the Red Hook West Residents Associa�on mee�ng. It’ll be held at 6:30 pm at 428 Columbia St., Room 1C.

board mee�ng will be held at 6:30 pm at the 78th Precinct (65 6th Ave)

17 SUN The 44th Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to Park Slope. Kickoﬀ is at 1 pm with the parade running from Prospect Park West & 15th St. down to 7th Ave. & Garﬁeld Pl. 20 WED Join neighbors to hear updates regarding Red Hook East and voice any concerns or ask ques�ons of TA President Frances Brown at the Red Hook East Residents Associa�on mee�ng. It’ll be held at 6:30 pm at 167 Bush St., Apt. 1B. 26 TUES

Gowanus Canal CAG’s monthly mee�ng will be held at 6:30 pm at Mary Star of the Sea (41 1st St.) Voice your concerns, ask ques�ons and meet the police captain at the 78th Precinct Community Council mee�ng. It’ll take place 7:30-9 pm at the 78th Precinct (65 6th Ave.).

28 THURS

A tax professional will be providing free tax help at the Red Hook Library (7 Wolco� St.), 10 am-5 pm. To use this program, you must have a valid email address and basic computer skills and bring all relevant tax documents. These documents include: Government issued photo ID Forms W-2, 1098, 1099, or income and expense records if you are self-employed, banking informa�on, 2018 tax return, proof of health insurance coverage/exemp�on, payment records for childcare, records of cash and non-cash charitable dona�ons. This service is available on a ﬁrst-come, ﬁrst-served basis. The 6th Annual Women’s History Month Celebra�on will honor Brooklyn’s diverse women who are breaking barriers and blazing trails. It’ll be held at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon St.), 6-9 pm. RSVP to 718-802-3946 or brooklyn.usa.org/2019WHM.

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Join Healing A�er Violence, a support group for women who have experienced violence in a rela�onship, on Wednesdays, 5-7 pm, at Red Hook Jus�ce Center (88 Visita�on Pl.). Call Red Hook CARES at 347-404-9017 to learn more. Listen to country, rock, blues and Americana LIVE with special guests at Pig Beach (480 Union St.), star�ng at 7 pm on Wednesdays. The Fancy Show delivers free stand-up comedy every Wed. at The Douglass (149 4th Ave.). It regularly features comedians from NBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, HBO, MTV, FOX and more. Shows start at 8:30pm, doors open at 8 pm. Sea�ng is first-come, first-serve and food service is available during the show. Jalopy Theater presents “Roots n Ruckus,” a night of folk, old-�me and blues music. It takes place every Wednesday, 9-11 pm, star�ng Jan. 9 at 315 Columbia St. Thursdays – The Red Hook Community Jus�ce Center (88 Visita�on Pl.) hosts CARES Wellness Support Group, 5-7 pm. Learn about coping strategies for dealing with stress, and ways to relax and take care of yourself. Dinner and Metrocards are provided. For more info, all Red Hook CARES at 347-404-9017. Broadly Entertaining hosts FREE Thursday Night Trivia at Rocky Sullivan’s (46 Beard St.), at 8 pm. First place winner gets 50% off their tab. Fridays – Red Hook Library (7 Wolco� St.) offers one-on-one Resume, Cover Le�er and Interview Prep from 11 am to 1 pm. Saturdays – Red Hook Library (7 Wolco� St.) has Saturday Story�me from 11-11:30 am. Saturday Ac�vi�es, held 10 am-5 pm, are available for ages 13 and up – including gym, theater, weight room and computers – at the Miccio Cornerstone Center (110 West 9th St.), a program of Good Shepherd Services. For more informa�on, call 718-243-1528.

March 2019

Latest Gowanus zoning plan revealed by Erin DeGregorio

he public had a chance to ask important Gowanus rezoning-related questions to NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) at Community Board 6’s Landmarks and Land Use Committee meeting on Feb. 28.

questions-and-answers portion of the evening, after DCP’s nearly hour-long presentation. Points brought to DCP’s attention included – but were not limited to – the industrial business zone, building heights, climate change ef-

This follows DCP’s last open house style forum, held on Feb. 6, which was meant to update the community about proposed Gowanus rezoning plans. Multiple giant-sized posters had been placed along school gymnasium walls, which showed outlined progress points the City and community partners had made since June 2018 and their latest proposals. Attendees also had the opportunity then to direct questions toward city agency representatives, who stood alongside the posters throughout the room and provided information individually.

“It just seems like a bad deal. It’s not fair to the community. We have an alternative, which is not to rezone at all.”

At this meeting, however, DCP Project Manager Jonathan Keller went over an informational slideshow to the packed P.S. 133 auditorium. He said the goals of this presentation were to give a better understanding of the draft and to talk about how Gowanus can become a more inclusive, sustainable, mixed-used neighborhood for generations to come. Overall, DCP is proposing zoning map amendments, zoning text amendments and city map changes since Gowanus was last rezoned in 1961. “There’s more to the overall plan that we’re working towards,” Keller said early on. “I know, and we’ve heard, that not everything that everybody

Peter O”Donnell, Carroll Gardens fects and mandatory affordable housing (MIH) determinations. Karen Blondel, a Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice member, was the first to step forward and asked, “Will the city commit to starting construction on the $4 million renovation for the Gowanus Houses Community Center before ULURP [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure] begins?” Keller responded that the next step, he believed, was for the Department of Youth and Community Development and other parties to do community engagement before the renovation begins. In terms of Blondel’s specific question regarding ULURP, he couldn’t give an answer at the moment, but that it was a good question that would be answered in the future. A presentation slide also stated the following regarding NYCHA: “The City will consider funding improvements to Gowanus Houses, Wyckoff Gardens, and Warren Street Houses during the rezoning process. Capital needs will be evaluated via an assessment of improvements needed in these developments, in the context of broader investments in NYCHA.”

The Disney-like vision of Gowanus courtesy of City Planning essentially a little bit higher because there’s less place to put the bulk.” Similarly resident Debbie Stoller asked how and why buildings went from a max of 14 stories (as expressed in the June 2018 framework) to 22 stories (currently proposed). Keller’s answer was that the floor area ratio had changed during the timespan.

zoning neighborhood priorities. A DCP-hosted public scoping meeting, where the community can come and provide more feedback, is also tentatively scheduled for April. A date, time and location have not been de-

Keller also reiterated to the audience that the height isn’t set in stone and can be refined, since DCP is still in the proposal phase. Other concerns regarding transportation, number of school seats and storm water and waste management would be addressed at a later date after an analysis had been conducted.

What’s Next? Now that there’s a draft zoning proposal, DCP will begin a thorough environmental review to better understand the potential impacts of this rezoning proposal. The department will also meet with community stakeholders and property owners to share and learn more about how the proposal can help shape the future of Gowanus, and will continue to work with community partners and stakeholders to advance zoning and non-

Attorney Charley Dorsaneo was not only unphased by the announcement of 30 story buildings at Public Place, between Smith and the Canal, but he insisted that a great idea would be have no height limits at all on Fourth Avenue.

termined yet. For more details on the proposal, visit the Gowanus project page at nyc.gov/ planning.

Set in stone?

Linda Mariano objected to any buildings at all at Public Place, saying it was promised to be open space.

wants is here yet and there is a lot to still to do – and that’s also partly because we are here early in the process and still working on a lot of things.” Keller also emphasized that this Jan. 2019 proposal isn’t the final plan, as more issues and topics will be discussed further to advance the framework. “This is a progress report and that we continue to work with folks in the community,” he said.

Community Q&A Typically CB6 members ask their questions to the presenting party, but committee chair Mark Shames forwent them as questioners so the public could address DCP instead. Twenty people stood in line for the

Red Hook Star-Revue

Steve Fontas, a Carroll Gardens resident and construction company owner, was concerned about the 300-foot high building along the Gowanus Canal when “there’s nothing contextual about that.” The maximum heights (in stories) are as follows for new mixedincome housing (including marketrate and permanently affordable units) along the Canal Corridor: 6-8, 17-22, and 25-30 [for Block 471, a.k.a. Public Place – a vacant site owned by NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development]. He asked Keller if these zoning regulations are set in stone or if could they be changed. Keller said that DCP’s given a lot of serious thought to heights and that some buildings already have very low base heights. “The Public Place site and the private site south of it (next to Smith & 9th Streets) has additional encumbrances – the sewer easement that cuts through it,” he explained. “That’s why it gets

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March 2019, Page 3

EPA returns, explains position on sewage tunnel by Erin DeGregorio

nvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials returned to the monthly Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting after missing January due to the federal government shutdown. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to EPA Project Manager Christos Tsiamis’ update on all things Superfund. The bulk of his presentation had to do with last month’s DEP presentation of a sewage holding tunnel, to replace the previously agreed to sewage holding tank. EPA has demanded that the city reduce the amount of raw sewage that gets dumped in the canal during rainstorms, when the storm sewers run out of capacity. The city has already spent $30 million on developing retention tank plans. They are hoping, for some reason, that the EPA agrees to changing the flow in midstream. Tsiamis said his engineering team has completed their evaluation of the tunnel proposal and will be discussing it with EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez in the near future – which might take more than one briefing due to the complexity of the proposed situation. He said that he looked over DEP’s “simplified” presentation and found the issues to be more complex than they let on. “Let me put it this way – they think of going deep and we think deep before we go,” he said. Tsiamis added that new ideas being brought to the table, after a decision has been made, has happened before

in Superfund projects. “If we think this is something to be pursued, there are processes that have to be followed,” he said. “Depending on the change of the remedy it could be a short duration or a really long duration – essentially starting from the beginning again with the Record of Decision process [should the tunnel be pursued instead].” Tsiamis also mentioned that the current Record of Decision says eightand four-million gallon tanks, but the exact size can be determined during design. “It’s a simple change in the depth of the tank,” he explained, in regards to the tanks having a higher gallon amount. Important considerations that EPA will take into account include construction timing, cost, environmental benefits and constructability. Regardless, designs of the two tanks will carry on as the tunnel proposal continues to also be a part of the conversation.

FATE OF GOWANUS STATION BUILDING Since a headhouse will be built where the Gowanus Station Building (234 Butler St.) currently stands, EPA announced a mitigation approach regarding preservation of the building. The Nevins Street facade and approximately 25-30 feet of the Butler Street facade will be carefully dismantled, “brick by brick,” according to Tsiamis. They’ll be reconstructed and incorporated into the future CSO facility headhouse building. EPA will be responsible for overseeing the disman-

Brian Carr, Natalie Loney and Christos Tsiamis, Gowanus Superfund superstars, return from forced furlough. (photo by George Fiala)

tling, but won’t be involved with the architectural process. “This agreement represents a good faith effort to balance the community’s input with our obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act and Superfund goal of revitalizing one of the nation’s most seriously contaminated waterbodies,” said Regional Administrator Lopez – who was not present at the Feb. CAG meeting – in a Feb. 22 news release. “The agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office incorporates the Gowanus Station’s historic features into the new CSO facility to ensure that both the Canal and its history are protected.” As a result, DEP will preserve materials of the building that can be salvaged – including the terra cotta sign panel, window pediments, stone sills, stone water table and bricks – for reuse in the reconstruction.

MOVING FORWARD Tsiamis was optimistic on other matters, saying that within the next few weeks, EPA expects to have the complete design for the sheet pile wall (located at the head of the canal), in addition to the complete excavation and restoration design of the 1st Street Basin from the Department of Design and Construction. The agency also expects the 90% design plan for the cleanup of the upper canal, which stretches from 3rd Street to the top of the canal, within the next two months. DEP’s also obligated to submit the complete design of the CSO retention tank (located at the head of the canal) by April for EPA to review. The next CAG meeting is Tuesday, March 26, at 6:30 pm at Mary Star of the Sea (41 1st Street). CAG meetings are open to the public – one need not be a member to attend.

Gowanus Landmarking Coalition Launches Website

he Gowanus Landmarking Coalition, which was formed in the summer of 2017, is a group comprised of city-wide, neighborhood and historical organizations who advocate for city landmark designations in the neighborhood. It unveiled its new website on Feb. 6 – the same day of DCP’s “Next Steps in Planning for Gowanus” open-house meeting. The site highlights the Coalition’s priority list of 15 sites and small districts in Gowanus that warrant official designation by the City of New York. Some of those sites, for example, include: the 4th Street Brewery and Icehouse Complex (401-421 Bond Street), the ASPCA Memorial Building and Horse Trough (233 Butler Street), and the S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse (595-611 Smith Street).

Having waited more than two years for the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to conclude its study of potential Gowanus landmarks for designation, the Coalition continues to press public officials to designate and protect critical sites before rezoning occurs.

by Erin DeGregorio

tion member and Gowanus resident Brad Vogel said in a statement. “Landmarking has been left as something of an afterthought in places like East Harlem, Inwood and East New York when it needs to happen prior to the major changes that come with city-led rezonings. We hope the city will take a better course here in Gowanus.” Some groups in the Coalition have been advocating for landmark designation in Gowanus for more than a decade. However, the Coalition says quintessential Gowanus sites, like the Burns Brothers Coal Pockets, were demolished during that time. “We invite community members to sign our petition found at the new Coalition website,” said Kelly Carroll of the Historic Districts Council. “Gowanus should not be left with a paltry 3 or 4 designated landmarks when the rezoning dust settles. Telling the full story of this neighborhood’s industrial and maritime heritage requires more than a dozen sites. Our Coalition priority list is a good start.” The website is gowanuslandmarks.org.

“We’ve seen this before in recent cityled neighborhood rezonings,” Coali-

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019

Trucks Worry Civic Association by Brett Yates

Now, said Class, the next time the NYPD notices trucks elsewhere in Red Hook without a good excuse (such as a delivery), the drivers won’t be able to plead ignorance. Some residents, however, complained that the problem isn’t only the location of the trucks; it’s the size.

Trucks too long New York City prohibits 18-wheelers — trucks with 53-foot trailers — from traveling on city streets, restricting them to I-95, I-695, I-295, and I-495. For deliveries throughout the city, businesses must use “single-unit vehicles” (trucks without trailers) that are shorter than 35 feet or “multi-unit vehicles” (trucks with trailers) that are shorter than 55 feet from bumper to bumper. Nevertheless, trucks whose sizes exceed these regulations make their way onto surface roads, rattling the foundations of Red Hook’s aging housing stock, according to one local. Class and Jovin appeared unaware of the law. John McGettrick, the president of the civic association, mentioned that, although the rule often goes unenforced, some police precincts have cracked down on 18-wheelers — specifically, the Fifth Precinct in Manhattan, which has sought to address the problem on Canal Street. The abundance of trucks in Red Hook has been a longstanding complaint at the civic association, but it’s an especially important issue right now because the developer Thor Equities announced in February that it would build last-mile distribution warehouses on its 660,600-square-foot lot at the bottom of Richards Street, scrapping earlier plans for an office park for tech companies.

The last mile Projects of this kind have become popular in Red Hook lately. McGettrick said that traffic from e-commerce warehouses would “impact this community in a negative way if there are not reductions.” Renae Widdison from Carlos Menchaca’s office acknowledged that “last-mile delivery is a new, unique, very intense use” and stated that the city councilman is examining possible legislative solutions or updates to the Zoning Resolution. Trucks came up again when a homeowner came to the front of the auditorium to discuss a new building planned for the lot directly adjacent

Red Hook Star-Revue

to his 100-year-old wooden house on Dwight Street, which falls within an M1-1 manufacturing zone. At 151 Dwight Street, a plumbing company has submitted a design for 90-foot-tall facility, with a ground floor that will be used for truck parking. “We’re worried for our home,” the man said, citing the possibility of “extensive damage” during construction of the 52,000-square-foot building. He praised the “mixed use and small scale” of the Red Hook streetscape, noting his belief that residences can coexist with warehouses and factories if zoning regulations protect the light and air. But he explained that, since the Flood Resilience Zoning Text Amendment after Hurricane Sandy established provisions to elevate first-floor manufacturing on New York City’s floodplain to a safer height, certain industrial structures have grown upward in recent years. The homeowner, who is an architect, claimed that the same regulations that grant manufacturers additional floor area ratio in order to move their operations above flood level also permit them to use their ground floors for parking, which incentivizes the construction of trucking facilities in Red Hook. The man emphasized that, while he’d like to protect his own property, he hopes the neighborhood will take note of an issue that could affect others, too.

151 Dwight Street

Before the meeting, John McGettrick distributed an electronic petition that asks the Department of Buildings to rescind any permits for 151 Dwight Street, warning of the possibility of “soil contamination” on the site (currently an empty lot, formerly a junkyard), danger from “construction vibrations” to nearby properties, and “traffic and safety concerns” on the “very narrow street,” which already serves as a bus route and a bus stop.

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NCO Police Officers field questions about a myriad of Red Hook truck issues. (Star-Revue photo by Brett Yates)

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t the start of the Red Hook Civic Association’s February meeting at P.S. 15, Neighborhood Coordination Officers Krystal Class and Vegnel Jovin from the 76th Precinct announced that they’d distributed flyers to local truck drivers to inform them of Red Hook’s designated truck routes. For large vehicles, New York City’s official truck route map limits the neighborhood’s through-traffic to Van Brunt Street, Beard Street, Halleck Street, Bay Street, Clinton Street, Delavan Street, Hamilton Avenue, and small portions of Columbia Street and Court Street.

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Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7:30 am-6:30pm Serving breakfast, March 2019, Page 5

Cool People Are Cool at DE-CONSTRUKT by Brett Yates

n the last Sunday of each month, at 6 p.m., a potluck for “creatives” – officially the DIN DIN Curated Community Potluck – takes place at 41 Seabring Street. The venue, DE-CONSTRUKT, is a self-described “design studio, photography darkroom, event studio, and project space,” founded by the artist Laura Arena, who has lived in Red Hook for more than a decade. Anyone can come to the potluck – no RSVP necessary, but bring something to eat or drink – and meet 10 or 15 guests of the sort one might encounter at an art gallery in Buenos Aires or a film festival in Prague. At the dinner in February, writers, designers, and photographers from places as far-flung as Japan and Bushwick shared quiche, Israeli couscous, and wine while describing their current projects and commiserating over rejected grant applications. Marcia Vaitsman, a Brazilian PhD who creates games that aim to generate social experiences within art spaces, described building a large net of rubber bands, alongside other interactive objects for an upcoming show, but she was still puzzling over whether the exhibition should come with any instructions for attendees. She believes that conceptual art centered on public engagement should do more than create fun experiences for an audience; it should explore original notions of its own, too. Arena – who recently spent a few

months in the Caucasus, where, among other projects, she mapped the Georgian city of Tbilisi by “chakra points” – runs in a cosmopolitan crowd, which allows DE-CONSTRUKT to bring creative ideas from around the world to Red Hook. As one of its primary functions, the studio operates as a residency program: the third floor of 41 Seabring houses not only an ample workspace but also three bedrooms, where artists can apply to spend two weeks or a month in order to immerse themselves in an endeavor of their choosing. February saw two artists-in-residence. Britta Wauer, a filmmaker from Germany, has directed the awardwinning documentaries In Heaven, Underground (2011) and Rabbi Wolff (2016). A mother of two, she came to Red Hook to focus on writing a script for an upcoming feature based on her adolescent memories, which have lately returned to her thanks to a “midlife crisis.” Wauer grew up in East Berlin. The Berlin Wall fell when she was 14, and at the potluck, she recalled a moment where, with society in flux, authority figures like teachers and policemen seemed suddenly to have disappeared. At 15, she left home for an artist squat and had “the time of my life.” She said that Red Hook reminds her of Berlin in 1990, where, on dark streets, one could find parties and concerts hidden inside crumbling industrial buildings.

BROOKLYN HAS A NEW EVENT SPACE

The other DE-CONSTRUKT resident is Ruixuan Li, a Chinese curator and writer who studied at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Li, who mentioned that plans for a superhighway had leveled her small hometown in Guangdong Province, first became interested in Red Hook while reading Sharon Zukin’s book Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places. She’s now talking to locals with the goal of collecting oral histories of Hurricane Sandy, which she expects to use as material for a novella that will incorporate nonfiction reportage into a fairy tale inspired by Red Hook’s destruction and recovery. She hopes to see the work (which will also include visual elements) published in both English and Chinese.

Lucky Gallery a predecessor

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Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

Arena, who previously operated Lucky Gallery at 176 Richards Street until her landlord kicked her out, acknowledged looming financial troubles at DE-CONSTRUKT. The winter shutdown of the federal government had scared off international artists who might have sent applications in January for residency, and the program will pause in the spring. On the bright side, Arena pointed out that she’d recently found a local photographer, Eunice Gomez, to take charge of the darkroom. Gomez, who is finishing up a series of 100 images of miniature liquor bottles spotted on the streets in and around Red

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Hook, will try to find other Brooklyn photographers who might want to use the facility for a fee. DE-CONSTRUKT will also continue to organize events. On March 9, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Pitsiokos, and Luke Stewart will perform at the Zone Music Workshop at 8 p.m. And on March 16, at 8 p.m., Home Audio will feature music and art by Dino Georgeton, DJ Eric Umble, and Fionnuala Heidenreich. Arena doesn’t plan on giving up on the potlucks, either.

She said that Red Hook reminds her of Berlin in 1990, where, on dark streets, one could find parties and concerts hidden inside crumbling industrial buildings.

March 2019

Councilman comments on EDC’S latest ploy regarding unwanted trolley service by Erin DeGregorio

the Aug. 2018 BQX Conceptual Design Report.

“The City continues to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a project with hardly any public input, and blithely insists that we should fork it over despite there being no clear plan for how to finance it and outstanding doubts about its transportation benefits.”

“If this is how the EDC will treat questions from City Council Members whose districts sit along the route, imagine how they will respond to public inquiries during a ULURP,” he said in his statement. “If [EDC] wants the City to pay for its economic development projects, it must be absolutely transparent about its assumptions, models, and vision. It still has a chance with the BQX project.”

The BQX Task Force – which is comprised of members whose districts sit along the proposed BQX route – sent a letter in December that outlined more than 20 outstanding questions they have about the project, including explicit requests for the transportation, economic, and environmental assumptions that were not evident in

The Aug. 2018 BQX Completion of Conceptual Design Report shows – via a map – that the Red Hook and Columbia Street Waterfront District stops would be along Columbia Street, Bay Street, and certain portions of Smith and Court Streets. Construction could begin in 2024 and finish in 2029, according to the report.

ouncil Member Carlos Menchaca, who chairs the BQX Task Force in the City Council, issued the following statement on Feb. 7 in response to NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) executive committee’s unanimous decision (announced the day before) to hire an independent contractor to oversee the BQX project’s environmental review:

Menchaca also added the EDC hasn’t answered those questions, despite being given a deadline and multiple follow-ups.

In a bid to gain the support of public housing tenants, the Friends of the BQX released this conceptual photo of a proposed stop. Jill Eisenhard, Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative, serves as Secretary on the Friend’s Executive Committee. Basically a lobbying group, the board is headed by Two Trees real estate developer Jed Walentas, and includes the president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (which never met a real estate developer it didn’t like), as well as Fifth Avenue Committee’s Executive Director Michelle de la Uz.

Ballﬁelds remain dormant

ed Hook’s baseball fields adjacent to the Rec Center have been closed for many years. We was told last year by the Parks Department that work would be begin last fall to finally fix them up for use. Of course, any sane person walking by the fields, on either the Bay or Lorraine Street sides, will tell you that the fields haven’t been touched in ages. We called Parks to find out what is going on, and were referred the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who ordered the original cleanup.

“The EPA is in the process of reviewing the revised construction submitted by NYC Parks to ensure all previous EPA comments have been addressed in the final versions,” Elias Rodriguez, public

information officer at EPA, said. He claims that the review will soon be complete. EPA reviews all plans in their entirety as required by the enforcement agreement between EPA and Parks Department. The main purpose of this review is to ensure that all plans meet EPA requirements for worker protection and to ensure safety of the surrounding community. “For the construction plan, this involves EPA review of construction schedule, and plans for equipment and materials staging, decontamination, site security, traffic control, environmental monitoring and transport and disposal of materials,” Rodriguez added.

by Nathan Weiser

EPA has reviewed the draft of the construction plan previously and submitted their comments to NYC Parks and their contractors. In this final review process, the EPA will the latest version of the construction plan to make sure EPA’s comments have been incorporated into the final version.

Community Meeting

What we once had (Star-Revue file photo)

We just found out that the Parks Department and the EPA will finally come back to the neighborhood for a community update. Go to the Rec Center, 155 Bay Street, Monday,

March 11, 2019 at 6:30 pm and let them know how you feel about yet another season of not having the Red Hook Little League.

Healing & Recovery in an Urban Setting C R E AT I N G A C O N T I N U U M O F C A R E I N R E A L L I F E S I T U AT I O N S

Urban Recovery provides residential treatment for a myriad of conditions with a primary emphasis on substance use disorders. Our new facility, just steps from Brooklyn’s waterfront, offers a level of comfort, compassion and privacy our clientele deserves. URBAN RECOVERY IS NOW OPEN AND ACCEPTING CLIENTS

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March 2019, Page 7

by Brett Yates

NYCHA Announces Maximum Income Policy and Section 18 Dispositions

NYCHA Announces Maximum Income Policy and Section 18 Dispositions by Brett Yates

n February 13, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) held a public hearing regarding an amendment to its annual plan for 2019. Dated December 27, 2018, the Draft Significant Amendment to the Annual PHA Plan for Fiscal Year 2019 outlines NYCHA’s approach to the new income limit requirements passed down from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It also proposes additional means, beyond the preexisting Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, of transitioning public housing units into private management. The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), signed by President Obama, established that public housing authorities (PHAs) would begin to penalize tenants with incomes exceeding 120 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). Last summer, HUD issued instructions to PHAs for the implementation of the policy, which becomes mandatory nationwide on March 24. HOTMA allows PHAs to choose between evicting over-income households or increasing their rent. NYCHA will increase their rent. Most NYCHA residents will continue to pay 30 percent of their income toward rent (or a flat rent set by NYCHA if the flat rent is lower), but after two years above the income cap, higher-earning tenants will instead pay the greater of the Fair Market Rent for their unit or an amount (not yet fully specified) that would reflect the public subsidy previously allocated for their unit from NYCHA’s operating and capital budgets. In the New York City re-

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

gion, AMI for a three-person family is $93,900, which means that a family of the same size, living in public housing, would have to earn $112,680 to invoke the new rule.

the private rental market at full price. NYCHA documents don’t specify that public housing conversions that take place outside of RAD are subject to the same conditions.

Speeding up privatization

The conversions in question include eight public housing properties that New York City and New York State built in the 1950s and 1960s and later gave over to NYCHA. These developments, constructed without HUD funding, have never qualified for direct subsidies from HUD and thus do not qualify for the RAD program. Since 2008, HUD has permitted NYCHA to shift units from these buildings one by one to Section 8 upon vacancy, and in 2017, HUD approved the wholesale conversion of certain unfunded developments.

In addition to providing notice of the HOTMA regulations, the Draft Significant Amendment contains information about NYCHA’s efforts to use additional procedures to speed up the partial privatization of its properties, of which it had already committed one third to RAD. RAD is a HUD program that aims to access private capital to pay for major infrastructural repairs deemed otherwise unaffordable by PHAs through the sale or lease of public housing developments to private landlords, who thereafter receive a stream of guaranteed revenue through Section 8 vouchers. NYCHA has used the term PACT (Permanent Affordability Commitment Together) as the name for its local iteration of RAD, but in 2017, PACT and RAD ceased to operate as synonyms, as the former term began also to encompass “adjacent programs” to bring public housing under private management. Although RAD has come under fire for failures by PHAs to enforce mandated protections for residents, the program at least theoretically prohibits eligibility re-screenings for tenants in converted buildings and offers the same eviction protections as public housing and continued funding for tenants associations. Perhaps most importantly, its 15-to-20-year Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment contracts, upon expiration, renew automatically in perpetuity; neither HUD nor the private developer can opt out of the deal, which prevents units from falling out of the program and into

The Draft Significant Amendment calls for the conversion of the remainder: the Linden Houses and Boulevard Houses in East New York and 344 East 28th Street and Wise Towers in Manhattan. Although these Section 8 conversions resemble RAD, they technically are executed outside the regulatory framework of the program. The same goes for public housing units that, per the December amendment, NYCHA plans to put into private hands by way of the Section 18 disposition process. Section 18 of the Housing Act of 1937 has traditionally allowed for demolition of public housing that has become “obsolete as to physical condition” and for “disposition by sale or other transfer of a public housing project” in cases where “retention of the property is not in the best interests of the residents or the public housing agency.” When PHAs demolish or dispose of public housing, or when a Section 8 landlord pulls out of his contract,

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HUD issues Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPVs) to affected residents to help pay for their new housing. NYCHA now wants to employ Section 18 for a quarter of the apartments in a cluster of five public housing developments in Bushwick previously approved for RAD – although, in this case, the residents will stay put under new management, which will receive the TPVs.

More profit By NYCHA’s own admission, this use of Section 18 constitutes a scheme to make the RAD conversion more profitable for the private developer, as TPVs can convey larger subsidies than RAD’s Section 8 vouchers, which replicate the operating and capital subsidies allocated for the units as Section 9 public housing: New York City’s “highest-in-the-nation construction costs” and the “extremely high capital needs in the developments… must be offset to create a financeable transaction.” RAD will still power the conversion of 75 percent of the units in the Bushwick developments, concurrent with the Section 18 disposition. HUD announced in 2018 that it would authorize PHAs to blend these processes in order to promote RAD, but ultimately the developer will sign separate contracts for the two sets of units. Under Section 5A of the Housing Act of 1937, a PHA must annually submit a plan detailing its “goals and objectives” to HUD. It must subsequently make this plan “available for inspection by the public” and conduct a hearing in order “to invite public comment.” NYCHA published the first draft of its 2019 plan last April and held a hearing in May. Each “significant amendment,” however, requires an additional hearing. (continues on next page)

March 2019

At NYCHA’s event at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, host Jenelle Hudson, Director of Resident Engagement, asked attendees to make sure that their comments pertained specifically to the Draft Significant Amendment. Even so, many NYCHA residents used the occasion to voice their complaints about rats, heating outages, and broken elevators. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer criticized NYCHA’s requestfor-proposal criteria for private developers interested in RAD conversions. In her view, the terms favor large, for-profit companies. “I, Gale Brewer, will not support any project that isn't going to be done through a nonprofit community development corporation, period,” she declared. She also expressed concern about the Section 18 dispositions: “NYCHA promised the same RAD resident rights to Section 18 tenants, but permanent affordability is a right the Section 18 tenants will not have. That's important. NYCHA must codify language on tenant rights and permanent affordability into Section 18 projects’ legal documents like the regulatory agreement or a document tied to the property that does not have an expiration date.” Victor Bach of the Community Service Society of New York questioned the process by which NYCHA identifies capital needs prior to RAD conversions. “When NYCHA releases a request-for-proposals to developers in order to carry out the conversion,

that RFP contains the scope of rehabilitation work to be done by the developer. In the process of pulling together the capital needs assessment, residents are not directly consulted. The capital needs assessment is carried out by a third party that HUD and

NYCHA agree on,” he explained. “We think that it's outrageous that residents who have been living with failing conditions for years are not being directly consulted about the RAD capital needs assessment before it goes into the RFP and, secondly, that they

Section 18 of the Housing Act of 1937 has traditionally allowed for demolition of public housing that has become “obsolete as to physical condition” and for “disposition by sale or other transfer of a public housing project” in cases where “retention of the property is not in the best interests of the residents or the public housing agency.”

are not being given an opportunity to review and comment on the capital needs assessment before it's finally released.” Joshua Barnett, a NYCHA employee, worried about hiring practices for RAD and PACT projects. “I see a real anti-worker, union-busting aspect of the RAD and PACT program,” he warned. “I don't see in this program the guarantees that all new hires are going to have civil service and union protection. I don't see the guarantees for resident hiring. I don't see the guarantees that people are going to be paid prevailing wage.” Some NYCHA tenants had their own criticisms of RAD and PACT. Andrea Psoras of Taft Rehab commented, “When there's erosion of the quality within the buildings, then automatically there's an assumption: ‘Well, we should just privatize everything.’ And that's been flawed. So forgive me, but I just think that it's a poor solution.” Mary McGee of the Fulton Houses lamented, “It feels like NYCHA is abandoning us.” Darice Hough of Campos Development I disagreed, contrasting the converted campus where he lives with the public housing in Campos Development II. He referred to the former as “the Section 8 private side that a lot of people don't like but, me, I actually love. So I want to thank you for doing that because there's no way that NYCHA could’ve ever did what these private owners came in and did to our homes.”

Drama Ministry of Calvary Baptist Church Celebrates Black History

by Brett Yates

nspired by Black History Month, Calvary Baptist Church staged a work of community theater, Brother to Brother, which sought to honor both African-American luminaries of the past and ordinary Brooklynites of the present. The performance took place on Sunday, February 24, at 773 Hicks Street, with a cast of 25 locals. Drama Ministry Director Betty Moorning, a deaconess at the church, wrote the play, which tells the story of a discouraged Southern transplant, Al (Stanley Morrison, a natural comedian), who comes to New York in search of opportunity but ends up jobless and abandoned by his wife. His cousin Gladys (Williemae Martin in a spirited, colorful performance) offers some support, but Al doesn’t recover his gumption until a friend, Ralph (Rudy Hall, brother of actress Angela Hall from movies like Mo Better Blues and The Player), takes him on a time-traveling journey through the tragedies and triumphs of black history. They begin at a slave plantation’s whipping post, but figures like Harriet Tubman (Belinda Hall), Sojourner Truth (Stefani Deji), and George Washington Carver (Lynn Pridgon) provide stories of perseverance

Red Hook Star-Revue

An enthusiastic local cast honors African-Americans at Calvary Baptist. (photo by Brett Yates)

through the troubling 19th-century scenes. Literary heroes such as Alice Walker (Nicole Harris) and Maya Angelou (Melissa Harden) make appearances to offer words of hope and wisdom. After witnessing the famous act of resistance by Rosa Parks (Angela Ocasio) on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Al returns to the present – where the slave-master turns into a landlord. Al ultimately finds employment. The next step for him is to get involved in public life by attending meetings at a nearby community center and services at the local church. In these spaces,

neighbors gather to share their struggles and grievances. Citing issues like inequality and violence, they begin to organize to improve their community. “We got to work on getting our black men out of jail,” says Amanda (Pamela Casey). “My son got locked up for nothing. They’re killing our men and boys and getting away with it.” “I say we need to rebuild our family structure,” opines Mildred (Althea Gouff ). “Get off that Facebook, turn off that TV, put those phones down, and let’s get together like we used to at the dinner table and talk and pray.”

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Brother to Brother, which included music, dancing, and comedy alongside its educational and spiritual content, marked the 51st play directed by Moorning, who often organizes shows around the holidays. An earlier version of the play debuted in 2017. A crew of ten put the performance together with the large cast. Jeremy Bodon and Ricky Tubbs served as sound technicians, and Sylvia Kennedy cooked food to tide over churchgoers between Sunday morning service and the afternoon showtime.

March 2019, Page 9

Sunset Park Woman’s soccer tournament, by Nathan Weiser The first all-female youth soccer tournament festival of its kind in New York City came to Sunset Park at the beginning of February. The Brooklyn Women’s Cup, was held at Soccerroof, a brand new venue which is on the roof of a building on 53rd St and the water. 52 teams representing 15 different soccer clubs participated. Special guests included Yael Averbuch (professional soccer player, former National Team Member), Melissa Ortiz (professional soccer freestyler and former member of the Colombia National Team) women’s coaches and soccer players from Brooklyn college programs (like Long Island University) and representatives from pro soccer teams including the NY Red Bulls. When Averbuch and Ortiz heard about this event they wanted to be part of it right away. Averbuch, who has played professionally in this country and internationally, has a soccer app and YouTube channel. She will soon be joining the Seattle Reign when they begin their season next month. According to Socceroof General Manager Jonathan Lupinelli, there is no other soccer facility like this one in New York City. The small 50’ x 80’ fields named after neighborhoods in Brooklyn including Red Hook, offer the flexibility to combine two or three fields together. The small fields at this 24-hour facility are manufactured with next generation synthetic grass materials.

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Socceroof initially partnered with a soccer organization called Brooklyn City FC who helped to facilitate bringing all of the other teams to this event. The staff at Socceroof worked with local teams and reached out to the contacts that they had. The idea for having this event initially came to the staff of Socceroof two months before the event but it was only more recently that they started really planning this all female day of soccer. “We just wanted to bring all the female soccer players together in one place because we realized since we opened Socceroof a few months ago that women were coming and we knew that there is demand for women’s soccer,” Lupinelli said. “We really wanted to bring them together, so we decided for one afternoon to open this facility to all levels of female little girls (U8) to elite women.” “We had support from the local community and different organizations,” Lupinelli said. “It came out pretty good.” Girls soccer has often been underrepresented in New York City, so this was a way to bring female soccer to the forefront. All 10 of the fields had games throughout the afternoon that were referred by employees. Socceroof staff were on hand to oversee the event and trophies were given out to winning tournament teams. Some of the teams included the Swedish youth competitive soccer organi-

zation named Gjoa, Brooklyn City FC and Downtown United. Through Socceroof’s outreach they were able to get youth teams from Manhattan, from the Bronx, from Brooklyn, from Staten Island and from New Jersey, so they were able to get teams from the full NYC and NJ soccer community. When large events like this take place, they are typically mixed or geared towards men. “I think it was a perfect opportunity to say today is for females, for women, for the girls. The males that showed up were the dads that watched their kids play,” Lupinelli added. “On the pitch it was only girls and women today. It worked well. We had a tremendous response.”

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“I think it was a perfect opportunity to say today is for females, for women.

March 2019

Pete Morales reflects on 70 years in Red Hook by Nathan Weiser

ete Morales (born Pedro) has lived in Red Hook for 70 years. He first lived on Clinton Street, then his parents moved to Pioneer Street and later on to public housing. He attended PS 27 in Red Hook for junior high school and then went to George Westinghouse HS in Downtown Brooklyn. “I have mixed feelings about those schools because of racism,” Morales said. “I didn’t have it as bad as other people just because I grew up with white kids and I used to play ball with the black kids. I think in the 50s people started coming in in bunches. When I first moved in the problems were with the Irish and Italians. When the Puerto Ricans started coming, they had problems with them. He thinks in some ways the community is too overprotective now. He looks back fondly on when he had freedom to go anywhere. “I think there was more freedom as far as doing things on your own than there is now. For instance, in the summer time, we swam at the docks. Sunny and the boys, we would get together and play ball and then we would go the piers, like Valentino Pier. We were always playing ball and always going to the docks. The cops didn’t both you, nobody bothered you. It was nice.” Relatives who would visit would think they were in the country. They loved swimming and doing activities that they couldn’t do in other Brooklyn neighborhoods. Morales remembers there being many more beautiful private homes with more space in the neighborhood, especially on Sullivan and Wolcott Streets. When PS 15 was built, many homes were demolished. Morales remembers there not being nearly as many places to eat on Van Brunt Street as there are now. Fairway Market, which is likely the most visited destination on Van Brunt now, used to be a coffee storage facility for the people who worked at the docks. Popular places to go to when he was

growing up in the neighborhood included the VFW Post on Van Brunt and Sullivan (Veterans Club), and Visitation Church since many people in Red Hook at that time were Irish. There was also a movie theater on Pioneer Street a block from the church and another movie theater on Clinton Street. “I enjoyed those movie theaters,” Morales, who has recently lost his legs due to complications with diabetes, said. “The neighborhood really did not have that much to offer, so the theater was a big thing. All of the other recreations were sports - baseball, softball, basketball and swimming.” When Morales got older, he was the commissioner of the Red Hook youth baseball league, which had 10 teams. He looks back fondly on his involvement with the league that had kids from seven to. The league came to a halt back in 2015 when NYC Parks and the EPA closed the fields due to lead contamination. “I knew practically all of the parents and the kids in the league. What was good about it was once the league started growing then you were dealing with the older brothers. You had bigger brothers helping out. Everything started going downhill when the parks closed.” Morales went onto reminisce about playing in those same fields when he was a youngster starting when he was nine years old. He added that he nor anyone else he knew got sick or got ill effects from the fields. He played softball in Coffey Park and also would utilize fields by Todd’s Shipyard. “Todd’s Shipyard is where the farm is,” Morales said. “The field was big. It was four softball fields. Those fields were made for veterans that worked in Todd’s Shipyard and they used to play in those fields. It was an active area.” Until recently he spent a lot of time at the Red Hook Senior Center. Before Sandy wrecked it, the center was below his home on Walcott Street. It has since reopened on West 9th.

Pete could always be seen at the ballfields before they were closed.

“I always went to Defonte’s,” Morales said. “It was part of my youth. The original owner could not speak English. My father used to speak Spanish, and he used to speak Italian, but they understood each other. The owner was always there and he was a nice guy. There sandwiches are all good, they have good food.”

erties. We used to play in half of those warehouses. We fished off the docks and kept the fish.”

He used to know the original owner and was popular with the people who worked there.

He regrets that with the change in the neighborhood the VFW Post has become less popular. It used to hold dances and the police didn’t bother anybody. “Red Hook was a fantastic place,” Morales said.

He used to enjoy going to Seamore’s, which was a bar close to where IKEA is located now He remembers Lorraine Street being much different back then than it is now. There used to be a fish market, a dry cleaners, a shoe repair, a luncheonette and a bar. He described Lorraine as having everything a community needed, with a lot of options. One aspect of Red Hook that has changed is the ability to go and play in the docks. It used to be a playground for Morales and his friends. “We used to go in the water and swim and through the old buildings and come out and play games,” Morales said. “The last place we used to play around in was Greg O’Connell’s prop-

He wishes in some ways that Red Hook was more the way it used to be back in the day. He remembers “knowing everybody” and he remembers walking in the back and finding people to play ball with.

“The last place we used to play around in was Greg O’Connell’s properties. We used to play in half of those warehouses. We fished off the docks and kept the fish.”

“I liked it here since it was bigger with more space and there were a lot of activities,” Morales said. “We had a pool table, there were birthday parties and I participated in different events. I used to be fairly active in the neighborhood as a whole.” His favorite place to eat used to be a place called Al and Jack at the corner of Smith and 9th Streets. It was a very popular old time Italian place and Morales was sad when that place closed.

Outside the garden at Visitation Church.

Red Hook Star-Revue

“When you went there, you saw mafia, but you also saw priests,” Morales said. “It was right around the corner from the train station and was there longer than I can remember.

Pete loved playing dominos at the old Senior Center. (Star-Revue file photos)

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March 2019, Page 11

A Sneak Peek into Regina’s “La Bohème”

by Erin DeGregorio

rooklyn-based professional opera company Regina Opera’s next production for the 2019 season is “La Bohème.” “La Bohème” is a four-act Italian opera that was composed by Giacomo Puccini (Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa) and premiered at the Teatro Regio in 1896. As one of the most popular Italian operas of all time, it’s a tragic love story among the Bohemians of Paris in the 1830s.

President and producer Francine Garber-Cohen, who joined Regina Opera in 1974, said this is the sixth time “La Bohème” will be performed in the company’s history – which will celebrate its 50th year in 2020. It will be fully costumed, fully staged with new scenery and performed with the accompaniment of a 35-piece orchestra for two weekends. This year’s production also features a diverse cast with some who have done the opera before and some who haven’t. Singer Hyunho Cho, for instance, will be making his role debut as writer Rodolfo during the March 2 and 10 performances with Regina Opera. He has performed in numerous venues including Carnegie Hall, Alaska Center of Performing Arts, Gerald Lynch Theater and the National Arts Center, as well as the Opera House of Seoul Arts Center in Korea. Cho told the RHSR that he began singing at the age of 18 and always enjoyed participating with his church choir. He later fell in love with opera when his mother took him to see “La Bohème” at the Korean National Opera Theater. “It made such a big impact on me and that’s when I decided I wanted be an opera singer. I found my Godgiven talent and love for singing more as I was learning,” Cho said. “Now I’m working with [Regina Opera] as Rodolfo, which is the role I’ve always dreamed to play.” Without giving too much away, Cho’s favorite scene is from Act 3, Scene 2, in which his character tells fellow artist Marcello that his relationship with seamstress Mimì is over, though he still loves her. “That is a very special love that one can have,” he added. “Puccini wrote a beautiful solo line for Rodolfo there; I love it.” Principal stage director Linda Lehr, who always attended New York City operas as a child and teen, has been directing at Regina Opera since 1998. She told us that she wanted to keep “La Bohème” in its original time period to give cast and audience members the experience of a standard production. As a result, Lehr did some research for stage design inspiration, which will help everyone feel like they’re in 19th century Paris. “The design aspect for this one was fun because I went back to the original source material [the novel Scènes

Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

The 4 Bohemians, living in a Parisian garret, distract Benoit, their landlord who has come for the rent, with some wine. (Photo by Gregory Ortega)

de la Vie de Bohème by Henri Murger] and I’ve taken some of the original illustrations from the book and put them on the stage so … it’s like we’re in the book,” she explained. While “La Bohème” is specific to its time period, the storyline and music are universal and timeless. Gregory Ortega, Regina Opera’s principal conductor who will be leading the show musically, has roots with “La Bohème” that actually go back to his college years. It was the first opera he conducted with his self-formed company while attending Hunter College.

Show dates are on March 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 3 pm. Tickets can be purchased online (reginaopera.org/tickets.htm) and at the door on the day of the performance (cash only). Ticket prices are as follows: $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors (age 60+), $20 for college students (age 25 and under), $5 for teens, and free for kids (age 12 and under). TDF vouchers are also ac-

cepted. All performances are held at the auditorium of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy of Brooklyn (5902 6th Avenue), which is handicap accessible. Garber-Cohen said “La Bohème” is about three hours long with four acts and three intermissions. For more information,

RICHARDS STREET SNOWMAN

Lehr did some research for stage design inspiration, which will help everyone feel like they’re in 19th century “It’s one of the most technically difficult operas to conduct,” he explained. “[But] it’s a score that’s very direct and almost anyone can enjoy the music.” The production will be performed in Italian, and English supertitles will be projected above the stage. The translations are as close to literal as possible, while maintaining easy readability for audience members.

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March 2019

Vegan Food Is Like Butter at Sans by Brett Yates

n 2018, when the Vietnamese noodle shop Nightingale Nine shut down with a year left on its lease at 329 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, the restaurateur Robert Newton asked a former employee, Champ Jones, if he wanted to fill the space for the remainder of the term. Since working for Newton, Jones had gone on to cook at the internationally renowned Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, but with Newton’s offer, he came back to Brooklyn to execute an experiment of his own. An omnivore, Jones had become interested in creating plant-based dishes that would appeal to meat-eaters like himself as much as they would to vegans. The result of this interest is Sans (from the French word for “without”), a twelve-month pop-up that specializes in delicate yet decadent plates of New American cuisine that eschew animal products without compromising on flavor. A skilled technician, Jones distributes fat like a French chef in confits and creamy sauces that, though cruelty-free, wouldn’t cause even the most sadistic epicurean to bat an eye. Sans occupies an assuming storefront two doors down from the vegan-friendly coffeeshop, Planted Cafe. I visited with a companion on a recent Saturday night. We ordered two expertly mixed cocktails ($14 each), which included ingredients like “cold pressed ginger,” rosewater, and IPA; three small plates ($12-$18); two entrees ($16-$18); and a dessert ($8). The front-of-house staff consisted of just three amiable and ultimately heroic twentysomethings, who handled the hosting, food-running, busing, and bartending without breaking a sweat or forgetting an order even as the tables filled to capacity. The best of the appetizers was the bowl of sunchokes and parsnips, served with dandelion greens and a startlingly rich and delicious cashew pesto. When pierced, the sunchokes’ innards spilled out like buttery mashed potatoes.

less edible platter of crispiness, seemed a bit less burdened by its mushroom topping than it might have been. But Jones’s “caviar” – a do-ityourself tray of fluffy blintzes; horseradish; celery root; and shiny, black pearls of compressed olive – was a remarkable achievement, its brininess very plausibly standing in for a sturgeon’s unstolen offspring-in-waiting. Neither of the two large plates would have been large enough to stand alone as a main course for a diner who doesn’t order starters. But in the conchiglioni alla vodka, each individual

When pierced, the sunchokes’ innards spilled out like buttery mashed potatoes. curvature of pasta, placed amid scattered blades of endive, was as hearty as a stuffed shell, plump with ricotta, at a checkered-tablecloth Italian joint. The charred onion, meanwhile, made for a substantive dish almost without venturing beyond the Allium family at all: the onion was both the meat (a coil of vegetal flesh with burnt ends, decorated with fresh chive and crispy shallot) and the sauce (a thick, smoky dip). The only noticeable non-vegetable addition was a crouton or two. We finished with the “free-form doughnuts,” warm and not too sweet,

Sans is at 329 Smith Street, across from Carroll Park.

beneath powdered sugar and a tart chocolate glaze. It came with two shots of soy-derived “sipping cocoa,” as rich as any dairy-based hot chocolate in the Swiss Alps. Because Sans (whose menu also features a pâté and a burger) is almost singularly dedicated to exploring the limits of plants’ capacity to reproduce the gustatory luxuriance of unreformed fine dining, its food may actually contain less of the greenness and crunch of fresh vegetables than the average restaurant that offers a few “healthy options” alongside its steak and chicken. But vegans – who deserve to spoil themselves sometimes, too – probably get enough of that stuff already, and it would only make the omnivores roll their eyes. My server told me that, during the yearlong pop-up (which ends in September), the chef hopes to attract investors who’ll help him rebuild Sans as a more ambitious production elsewhere: the secondhand equipment of the modest kitchen in the inherited

space on Smith Street apparently limits what Jones can do with the food, though he can already do a lot. If the project succeeds, then, Sans will presumably become fancier and pricier and, perhaps, the ultimate vegan restaurant for non-vegans, since the only people who’ll be able to afford to eat there will be New Yorkers who don’t have consciences.

A tasty vegan dinner

The maitake flatbread, a near-weight-

Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019, Page 13

STARªREVUE ARTS

art, culture, books and more fun stuff from brooklyn and beyond

the persistence of morgan o’hara by matt caprioli

T’S HARD TO KNOW WHERE TO START WITH THE ARTIST

MORGAN O’HARA. SINCE THE LATE 70S, SHE’S DRAWN OVER 4,000 PIECES FROM EVERYDAY LIFE -- DINNER WITH SOME LIVELY ITALIANS, A NOAM CHOMSKY LECTURE, A TAIWANESE LION DANCE PERFORMANCE -- WORKS SHE CALLS “LIVE TRANSMISSION.” {continued on next page}

FEATURES +

REVIEWS , ,

BOOKS PLAYS ART

MUSIC Q+A ,

CALENDAR

PP.

EXHIBITIONS P.

WOMEN

FOOD

Red Hook Star-Revue

18-19

S PROFILES, MORE

21-26

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UPCOMING SHOWS

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The Perserverence of Morgan O’Hara On first approach you’ll see a condense fog of scribbles, or a soft web of lines so threadbare to looks like lace. But picking a line (any line!) and following its curve and density, its meetings with the velocity of its neighbors, there’s the sensation of a time warp back to the present that O’Hara had once so intently observed. The stock of reality that O’Hara has uniquely recorded is reactivated, coming to life in a rather strange transmission anchored by the title of each piece. Red Hook’s Kentler Drawing Space has three dozen drawings in its archives, each rendered in caps as LIVE TRANSMISSION: MOVEMENT OF BUTOH DANCER, or LIVE TRANSMISSION: MOVEMENT OF THE HANDS OF PIANIST MARTHA ARGERICH Her project is a strange and powerful communion with the confines of time and interpersonal entanglements. It seems like an easy project to grasp, yet soon as you think you have it, there’s something you missed. But at 77, O’Hara isn’t highfalutin about her work. With a shrug and a steely smile, she tells me the practice of Live Transmission gave rise to the term “performative drawing” in French and German newspapers, where more has been written about Live Transmission since the late 80s. O’Hara wears a black kimono-inspired jacket with a high-collar that reminds me of Daenerys Targaryen, the dragon queen from Game of Thrones, but instead of fire she’s fortified with green smoothies, particularly a super-green smoothie she recommends to me at Le Pain Quotidien near her rent-controlled apartment in the West Village (her old haunts, Caffe Dante and Cafe Ino have been gutted or changed be-

yond recognition.) She talks about surviving as a fulltime artist, a decision she came to in her late 30s, while many of her friends succumbed to addiction, left the city, or gave up art entirely. “I’m fortunate. And I say that with 200 dollars in the bank.” O’Hara’s work has gained more traction in The States since 2016. The New York Times highlighted her project, “Handwriting the Constitution,” where O’Hara started to handwrite the constitution on Jan 21, 2016, the inauguration of 45, in the Rose Room of the New York Public Library. It was a silent form of protest, one amiable to introverts, where O’Hara (and the dozen others who surprised her by showing up) contemplated the constitution and the freedoms it would uphold. “There was freedom in that room. Everyone felt reaffirmed that our values would hold.” It’s not for nothing that her practice has at times been labeled “responsive witnessing.” A Live Transmission in the making In 2019, O’Hara already has three exhibitions planned. Her first is on display now at Roll & Hill in SoHo and features over forty pieces “Live Transmissions.” In the past, O’Hara has celebrated openings of “Live Transmissions” by working with a musician or dancer or actor to capture their movement with the audience, then adding that piece to the exhibition. But lately, as Roll & Hill staff told me, O’Hara has opted out of public performances. Several have noted that O’Hara’s lack of reputation in the states could be due to the fact that she’s travelled to so much. Indeed, she’s exhibited at more museums in Europe than in North America. Some speculate that’s because she’s so itinerant.

But some of that travelling helped her land work in museums across the world, including The British Museum.

For decades, O’Hara has led a dedicated artist’s life in a city that overwhelmingly demands compromise. “When I look back at it now, I’m just amazed I’ve survived.” Granted, her apartment makes it all possible. In 1982, rent was $405 a month for her one bedroom built in 1850; it froze at $800 then O’Hara took advantage of a senior citizen program called where the city pays landlords the leftover amount. “The landlord’s happy, I’m happy. It’s a win-win for everyone. I wish more people knew about it.” Communion

fine line between life and art.” These are drawings that make me think of that great Yeats line from “Among School Children” -- “O body swayed to music, O brightening glance/ How can we know the dancer from the dance?” These lines are about communion. Within oneself, across oneself. They push us to expand the contours of humanity. O’Hara has always been about connecting distinct cultures. Growing up, she learned Japanese, French, and English at the same time. In San Francisco, she taught at the French American International School for the International Baccalaureate program. At 30, she studied the psychology of painting in San Francisco. “After seven years of doing that, I realized I was more of an artist than I was a therapist. I wanted to go back and do the art world on my own terms, so that’s how I ended up in New York.”

The first Live Transmission was from 1981 in San Francisco. O’Hara was at a Chinese restaurant and watching the chef throw multiple dishes into the area with his wok. The choreography of oils and spices intrigued her, and she found herself drawing the fleeting moment, hoping to get it all on paper in quick, seismographic strokes.

She worked admins jobs until discrimination sunk in.

“It was just a one drawing. I never thought they’d be another one.”

“I’m sure with most artists, they’ll tell you that at some point you have to believe that it’s the right thing to do. You get to that point and nothing else matters. It’s all worth the risk.”

One of the most inscrutable and vital aspects of Live Transmission is what O’Hara is connecting. Is it moment to moment? People to people? Both? O’Hara has said that growing up in Japan helped her adopt a less egocentric perspective. In a Bomb Magazine interview, she stated, “It is my intention to eliminate the ‘distance’ between the performance and the subject being observed. The document is the bridge between the two. I am interested in working the

“Ageism started around 55. I remember the moment clearly where this young manager looked at me and said there’s no way you can do this.” She’s been winging it through her art ever since. It’s a penury but rich way to live.

O’Hara has become too familiar with the Live Transmission process. She tells me she’s moving on to other works, including handwriting the constitution of other countries, including The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But Red Hook residents can visit her work through the archives at Kentler Drawing Space. Morgan O’Hara at work at MK Gallery. photo by Justyna Suric Left and Front: LIVE TRANSMISSIONS by MOH. photos by Jeanette May

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March 2019

FEATURE

Atara Bernstein and Ariel Pasternak Photo courtesy of Pineapple Collective

let’s give ‘em something to talk about:

Women & Food

By Carly QuellMan

In an opinionated world, conversation surrounding food and gender is openly voiced. One of our readers is exploring this correlation, dissecting her own body’s health while investigating society’s negative food stigma towards women. by Carly QuellMan

HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MY WEIGHT SINCE

I WAS CHILD. EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE, MY STOMACH PACKED ON BLOAT IN A ROUND

BALLOON-SHAPE, SIMILAR TO THE LOOKS OF PREGNANCY.

I HAD CONSISTENT BOUTS OF

CANDIDA, WHICH WAS IN RESULT OF CONSUMING EXCESS AMOUNTS OF CARBOHY-

DRATES, TAKING THE SHAPE OF THICK WHITE COATING ACROSS THE TONGUE.

I can still recall the invasive feeling as I received an internal pelvic ultrasound, the doctor applying pressure to my lower abdomen. It was found that between my two ovaries I had over 70 cysts, represented as small, scattered shadows on the monitor in front of me. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) three years ago at the age of 20, an endocrinological disorder caused by an increase of androgens in the body. While PCOS varies from woman-towoman, its hormonal imbalance significantly affects your insulin and metabolism. Additionally, other external and internal symptoms can occur such as infertility, depression, acne, and particularly, weight gain. PCOS was a major contributor to my lifelong symptoms. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, there was discomfort discussing my health. Family members never commented on my eating habits, though jokes lingered throughout spaces. Now, older and aware of my personal relationship with food, I understand the discomfort behind discussing my health was because of my gender.

Red Hook Star-Revue

Women and food are often seen in contrasting lights. Our physical shapes represented on a societyfueled spectrum, endlessly shifting between negative and positive connotation. Food, more times than not, is skewed to be its relentless dictator. In the media, companies use advertising campaigns to dictate unrealistic body types, which manipulates how women view food consumption. External forces continually try to control how women feel about

if someone has history or is currently struggling with an eating disorder, tracking food may not be the right process. themselves — for simply looking like themselves. Women are continually oppressed by their right to eat, their need to receive nutrition, yet are rarely given a chance to disclose their own truth. It’s blatantly wrong.

heedlessly spoke upon. I welcome you: Pineapple Collaborative, a physical and digital female food-focused community of over 60,000 members. When I discovered their New York event, “New Year, Same Me,” was taking place in Manhattan, I jumped at the chance to attend. That December night, I saw Pineapple Collaborative create a safe space where women could unravel their life experiences while learning from others. It allowed for healthy relationships to form while acknowledging and discussing female food and health — and for once, their real correlation.

the author of A New Way to Food which released last month. Panelists included Ysanet Batista, founder of Woke Foods, a cooperative that explores healing through Dominican cooking, Jennifer Sterling, a holistic nutritionist actively removing emotional connotation surrounding food, and Rachelle Robinett, founder of Supernatural, a herbal company featuring plant-based remedies and health coaching.

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Emi Boscamp, one of Pineapple NY’s leads, said Pineapple Collaborative holds these events so that people will “stay and learn something. To be happy and decompress, while making new connections.”

Finding Pineapple Collaborative

“I want people to think and enjoy themselves,” Boscamp said. “You’re not hearing one opinion reinforced. We want people to be able to talk and challenge new ideas.”

In December, I spent an evening surrounded by female-identifying peers who willingly discussed perceptions around food, females & their health, and how that contributes to feeling worthy. We openly debated and respectfully listened to the specific issues others have shied away or

“New Year, Same You,” Pineapple NY’s Dec. event, explored women’s resolutions and intentions set as they entered into 2019. Moderating the event was Maggie Battista, writer and founder of Eat Boutique, a recipe site dedicated to innovative ways to look at food. Battista is also

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March 2019, Page 17

FEATURE Women & Food, continued Exploring practical food tips with Rachelle Robinett: Days later, I entered Supernatural, Robinett’s café and company located in the Woom Center on Bowery St. in Manhattan. The bright-eyed herbalist welcomed me in with a smile, sounds of chatter filled the space behind her, creating a harmonious tune. “We’re having a sound journey later today,” she said, laughing.

Robinett is a holistic health practitioner with certification in Complementary and Integrative health. Inside Supernatural, Robinett offers 1-1 wellness consulting, workshops, and health coaching for her clients — as well a fully-stocked menu of superfood products and health remedies such as tonics, teas, and calming herbal chews.

ists discussed a wide range of topics within the month’s designated theme — resolutions and intentions — particularly, how their idea of health was connected to more than food itself.

Curious to learn about Robinett’s relationship with wellness, I sat down with Supernatural’s founder to discuss how she has cultivated a space where food heals, uplifts, and strengthens the human body — and willingly talks about it. I hoped through learning about her experience, I could better understand my own body’s health.

RR: “It doesn’t even have to be every year. It can be every Sunday night, every Monday morning, every time we see somebody else’s Instagram post.”

At “New Year, Same You,” the panel-

CQ: What was your reaction to the event’s topic surrounding resolutions?

CQ: What’s the first step to learning about your own health? RR: “Keep track of how you feel after you eat. Anything that’s mysteriously bothering you, [asking] ‘Why

is my digestion always upset?’ ‘What foods make me tired?’ That can be a really good way to explore how certain foods make you feel.” Alternatively, Robinett added that if someone has history or is currently struggling with an eating disorder, tracking food may not be the right process. “There is so much more (and also arguably more important) in the world of health and wellness, women and food, that has yet to be really aired,” Robinett said. “Not that it will not ever be resolved, but we are all working through a lot of things.” Looking in front of me, “Nerve Less,” Robinett’s organic herbal chew from her line, HRBLS, sits on the counter. I watch as Robinett carefully places labels around the tins, packaging them for customers’ orders. “Nerve Less,” a plant-based herbal remedy created to ease stress and anxiety, was sampled at “New Year, Same Me.” The chew is dubbed as a “dose of piece,” containing a blend of herbal extracts such as honeyed lavender, tarragon, and ashwagandha root. CQ: So you’re an herbalist and an entrepreneur. How do you define yourself in your career field?

APRIL

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JAM SE GS! REENIN C S M L I F E! E DANC HOW! SQUAR PPET S U P ! S P HO WORKS T Y! CE PAR N A D A NO L

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LOCAL FOOD!

JALOPYTHEATRE.ORG

RR: I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur, though it’s clear I’m running a business. I am a student, first. I was just listening to a talk on herbal medicine. I am fascinated and love listening and trying to understand the human experience. CQ: Where can someone look to for information and guidance if they are unsure about how to enter the food and health world? RR: There’s so many amazing events in New York and Brooklyn. It’s always fun to go to a talk, check out a new store, dig in that way. People can always come in here [Supernatural] and have a chat with me. Come try an herb or bring in a supplement. CQ: What are some of health foods that someone may already have at home, unaware of how beneficial they are to your health? RR: Those are the best, accessible to everyone. Cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, star anise… All the fresh green herbs are amazing. Parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano… Hot water with ginger. If you’re making a dressing, add garlic. Just add them into your food anyway you can. CQ: What is one thing you want people to understand after they spend time with you? RR: Food is really just the heart of my work. Never underestimate the power of fresh produce. That’s it.

Printed materials made possible with funds from the Destination Brooklyn Program, funded by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and NYC & Company Foundation, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

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March 2019

REVIEWS

She has never believed the worst of her sister’s fate, clinging to the idea that Lily has always been safe, living with another family. While on the cusp of her big career break in the City of Lights, she gets a call that might make her near-decade long fantasy a reality.

A BK Writer’s Piercing Look at Childhood Loss

Will this be another false alarm, as there have been in the past? Once again, DNA is tested. What will be more frightening for the divided Johnson family: finding out it’s not Lily or discovering it is? And if so, their world will once again be turned upside down and something called reunification therapy would be required. Esme hopes for the best, of course, but still worries, not sure where or how the sisters might fit into each other’s lives after all this time.

By Lorraine Duffy Merkl

“If you can dance through this, Esme, you can dance through anything.” In The Lily in the Light by Brooklyn author Kristin Fields, the “this” to which the teacher of 11-year-old aspiring ballerina Esme Johnson refers is the disappearance of her 4-year-old sister, Lily. Don’t expect, however, a whodunit-cum-Law & Order episode where Queens, where the Johnsons reside, goes out en masse in search of the preschooler, while we follow the leads uncovered by the dogged detectives. What makes ths debut novel so engrossing is that it focuses on those left behind to deal with the trauma of such a tragedy. On the day in question, everyone becomes a suspect – even Esme’s 17-year-old brother Nick. But Esme knows in her heart that it is the neighborhood Boo Radley, nicknamed Birdman, who somehow has a hand in this.

A real concern, indeed.

lead with a cavalier life-goes-on attitude. But what the family is really doing when Nick joins the NYPD, Madeline chooses motherhood, and Esme runs the farthest to attend an elite San Francisco ballet school, is building protective walls around themselves. They can’t let in any more hurt.

When I was 13, my parents got back together after a roughly ten-year separation. One might think that the reconsolidation of a family has all the earmarks of a Hallmark commercial where everyone gathers for a group hug, before picking up where they left off. The fact is, all parties involved have found a new normal in order to cope and have to get to know each other all over again, which has its high and low moments, as well as frustrations.

Eventually the story of Lily’s disappearance transforms into “a fairytale, like Little Red Riding Hood or The Gingerbread Man,” and the little gone girl becomes a mythical creature, at least to her next eldest sister.

Many circumstances cause people to come and go through our lives—especially in our time when “ghosting” appears to be the de rigueur way of ending friendships as well as romantic and even professional relationships.

Esme, who has made her way to Paris, has unapologetically created a life for herself. She not only has At first blush one might get the a boyfriend, but an imaginary best impression that for the next eight friend named (you guessed it) Lily, years everyone -parents Cerise and with whom she laughs, converses, Andre, Nick, as well as 15-year-old and argues as sisters are known to sister, Madeline - follows Esme’s do.

Esme is inspiring because, during her sister’s absence, she chooses to not just exist. This is evident in Esme’s most profound line in The Lily in the Light, which is actually wisdom for the day-to-day as well: “I missed you so much, but I lived my life anyway.”

Kristin Fields

With nothing else for them to do but wait for the police to find the kidnappers, the Johnsons have to move forward. Or in Esme’s case, dance as fast as she can.

“Eventually the story of Lily’s disappearance transforms into “a fairytale, like Little Red Riding Hood or The Gingerbread Man,” and the little gone girl becomes a mythical creature, at least to her next eldest sister.”

“She Hates Coffee” is Weak Tea by Harry Kay “She Hates Coffee,” a new play written and co-directed by A. R. Garcia, is melodrama of a classical tenor. A passionate romance, the action follows the character Jaden (Kevin Grullon) on the rebound after being left by his bride (Segen Genesis) at the altar. Within his bar/cafe, called ‘Jaden’s Cafe,’ he falls into another relationship as his employees, friends and family watch on from adjoining tables. “She Hates Coffee” swings for the emotional fences, trying to bring a New York/Dominican spin to this rather simple plot. Therefore, it is the details of the characters and dialogue that will set this produc-

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March 2019, Page 19

REVIEWS A debut novelist’s cliché take on Ireland by Kelsey Liebenson-Morse “The House of Children,” (April 2019) author Heidi Daniele’s debut novel, tells the story of the unlucky and illegitimate child, Mary Margaret, renamed Peg by the stern but not unkind nuns of the industrial school where she is sent. This is Ireland, and the year is 1937. As we hear again and again, there was no choice for Mary Margaret’s mother, Norah Hanley, to give her daughter up. As a priest says to Mary Margaret, “Young lady, when a sin of that nature occurs, there really is no other alternative.”

Although carefully researched, and believably set amongst the achingly familiar ruler wielding nuns of a boarding school in the same vein of “Jane Eyre” or “The Little Princess,” the novel feels devoid of much real movement or pathos. The two primary settings go back and forth between school, where life is drab and dull, to the glorious but brief two weeks of summer where Mary Margaret is reunited (unknowingly until she’s 13) with her birth mother in nearby Galway, who lives with her own guilt over letting her daughter go but has made a life with a legitimate husband and eventually, two more children. Her insights feel cliché, such as the realization that comes halfway through the novel: “Ireland was not a good place for women.” Most interesting is her romance (if tepid) with her cousin Connor. (Don’t fret, he’s conveniently adopted) who becomes a vital inspiration for Peg’s eventual move to America. Spoken by her Aunt Hannah who has gotten away from the Catholic Church, Hannah astutely remarks, “Well Peg, if yer ta come ta America, ya need an education,” leaving us to believe Peg will find a better life across the ocean.

She Hates Coffee, con’t tion apart from its competitors. Unfortunately, that is where Garcia’s script lets down his actors. Though from speaking to the producers, it is clear that this project has been in gestation for years, what has been brought to the stage feels more like a first draft or outline than a fully realized production. Almost none of the characters seem to have a life outside the walls of the set. Because of the nature of the text, the actors who excel in the space tend to have roles that are more broadly drawn. Nikaury Rodriguez makes her two scenes stand out, bringing energy mostly missing from the rest of the play. Andres Chulisi Rodriguez as the raunchy barista Anastasia makes a meal out of what could otherwise be a minor role acting as a chorus of sorts providing some well-needed humor. Both of them seem to be having a blast on stage, and their interactions with the rest of the cast are highlights. ‘She Hates Coffee’ has a short tour coming up, with stops in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Philadelphia. This will provide plenty of time for the cast and crew to continue to hone this piece, and when it returns to this city, I hope to revise my opinion.

Peninsula Gallery’s Viel Feind, Viel Ehr By Christien Shangraw

eb 17 was a chilly Sunday night in Red Hook but there was a hot party at the Peninsula Art Space at 352 Van Brunt: the opening night of a show called Viel Feind, Viel Ehr.

Passing through the folks who had spilled out on the sidewalk to smoke and chat, I found my way into the gallery where Red Hook’s hippest were drinking cans of Budweiser from a massive cooler as the display lighting illuminated works from German and American artists, brought together for what its literature calls, “the first iteration of a collaborative project between Peninsula Gallery and the Berlin project space national museum.” The show is co-curated by Johnny Mullen and Raaf van der Sman. Johnny Mullen, bearded and casual, is as affable as he is erudite, and has been curating in Brooklyn and other points NYC for decades. He told me about the “other opening” in Berlin, in October, sort of a sister project with this one, with some of the same artists. “The general idea,” he says, “is in the tradition of a sort of non-existent band called S.Y.P.H.

and the Dusseldorf punk record label, Pure Freude.” (It’s worth going to peninsulaartspace.com to get started reading about S.Y.P.H. -- just FYI.) “So we have American artists having their first show in Berlin. And then replicating that experience the other way around, with German artists having their first show in The States.” The name of the show, Viel Feind, Viel Ehr, translates most directly (I think) as “many enemies, much honor.” In it I hear, “the more danger, the more honor,” or “the greater the danger, the greater the honor [in victory].” True enough. It echoes the more pedestrian Americanism, “with great risk comes great reward,” but with the added feature of facing not just hardship, but outright hostility to one’s undertaking. In this case, I’m assuming the undertaking is art. And while I can’t imagine the art in this show engendering many enemies, it does court risk. It is rather amazing. And not just amazing but presented in an amazing way. You’ll have to visit the gallery to see for yourself just exactly how, but I can say that one feature of its effect is that these works, by many different artists, are all unlabeled. “Labels get in the way aesthetically,” Mullen says. “You can respond much more purely

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when they’re not there. It’s a more pure and immediate visual experience without them.” This was the experience I had when I got there, before I’d even had this chat.

Peninsula Gallery has been in its spot for about five years now, with Johnny Mullen having recently named its director by owner Eric Fallon, who himself opened Peninsula in 2013 after Hurricane Sandy flooded Red Hook and the neighborhood was, in Eric’s words, “forced to come together to collaborate, persevere and rebuild.” Viel Feind, Viel Ehr runs through May 4. Hours are Saturday and Sunday 12-7 or by appointment, so go check it out. And when you get there, remember to look up. You’ll see, as I did at the show’s opening, two bright parrots (of latex on polyurethane resin and epoxy with steel hardware), one purplish and one lemonish, overseeing the gallery from their perches near the ceiling. They’re by Jerry Blackman.

March 2019

STARªREVUE MUSIC

reviews, previews, happenings in the neighborhoods you love

HANK’S

RIDES AGAIN

by Mike Cobb

After decades as one of Brooklyn’s quintessential watering holes, Hank’s Saloon closed its doors for good in December 2018. But regulars need not fret. Like a Phoenix risen from the ashes, the new Hank’s is now open for business in the former site of Hill Country BBQ at 345 Adams Street in downtown Brooklyn. Though it doesn’t have the eons of caked on grime and charm, the new Hank’s promises to deliver a better overall customer experience. With a more spacious interior and a vastly improved sound and lighting system, Hanks is set up as a top-notch live music locale on par with any midsized Brooklyn venue. Booker Lee Greenfeld has already begun filling out the calendar with old favorites and exciting new acts for months to come. “The end of March we have a truly

Red Hook Star-Revue

knock-out string of shows: Thursday the 28th we've got the return of garage-rock legends The Plastic Device playing with Swilson and the always great Martinets. Then Friday the 29th we've got one of my favorite modern songwriters, Greg Cartwright from the Reigning Sound, who is playing along with Benny Trokan & The Bell Guarde (Benny is also a member of the Reigning Sound) and a clutch of amazing DJs from WFMU. To top it off,

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Adam Suerte painting the new entranceway Photo by Julie Ipcar

INSIDE: Greg Cartwright! Slavic Soul Party! Art Schop! Wollesonic Labs! Vinegar Works Guitars! March 2019, Page 21

Hank’s Rides Again, Continued Photo by Joe Bottari Greenfeld wants the public to know, “Most of our shows are walk-up, but a handful have advance tickets, so people should definitely hit up our calendar and buy in advance if they want to be sure to not miss out.”

that Saturday we've got legendary bluesman Robert Kimbrough Sr.! We've got an ace soul group Empire Beats on April 19th, King Missile on May 11th, and our dear friends The Brought Low the following weekend on the 17th. Oh, and we're thrilled to host the yearly (belated) Johnny Cash birthday bash concert on March 9th.”

Calendar and ticket info can be found at:

About the new space, Greenfeld says, “While it was impossible to recreate the old Hank's, I think we brought along enough character from the old joint to make people feel at home. The team who helped build the place out did a hell of a job.”

h t t p s : / / w w w. t i c ke t f l y. c o m / venue/29440-hanks-brooklyn/

Owner Julie Ipcar adds, “The only challenging thing right now is the new entrance. You can enter through Hill Country Food Park until 7:30 pm, but after 7:30 you need to use at 345 Adams Street to enter and exit. It has a red neon BAR sign in the window and Hanks Flames hand painted by Adam Suerte of Brooklyn tattoo.” In terms of how things will work in conjunction with the various food vendors downstairs, Greenfeld says, “The Food Park closes at 8pm each night, before our shows kick-off, but we open at 1pm each day, so people can bring up food and grab a drink with us.” Regarding how the new Hank’s differs from the old, Ipcar states, “We refurbished a lot of what Hill Country had. We took their beat-up banquettes from the balcony and had them covered and raised onto a platform so you can be the height of the crowd to watch a band even while seated. There is also the old original bar rail that we wrapped around the column in the main room. We kept the back bar but changed up the wood look with

some darker paint and added LEDs to brighten up all the Hank's memorabilia on all our shelves.” “It's a much larger space but still feels really intimate. And of course, a lot of our Hanks OG staff is still with us such as Natasa, Jeannie, and Althea on the sticks, Lee with bookings, Kipp running sound, and Joe at the door. We've also added some great new bartenders that are fitting right in!” adds Ipcar.

Ipcar concludes, “We're happy that Hank's was given this opportunity for a rebirth. In a world of landlords and developers kicking small businesses out, it was great that Hill Country saw how we could both benefit from each other and offered us a new home. I hope that this becomes a trend in Brooklyn and New York City rather than the endless empty storefronts that litter our neighborhoods. Also, I just want to say a BIG thank you for everyone that has shown their support. It has truly been humbling, and I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to stop by, play their music on stage, have a drink, or write a note on our Facebook page. We love Brooklyn. This is what it's all about!” While the new incarnation may never be the same as the old, Brooklyn’s community of Americana music fans and dive bar enthusiasts can support a truly unique institution as it forges its way into the future. For more information, see Greenfeld’s website: www.deadflowersproductions.com

SLAVIC SOUL PARTY!

A Park Slope Institution For Nearly 15 Years by Brianna Murphy photo by Ayano Hisa

Slavic Soul Party! needs no introduction - and in fact, when they played Tuesday, February 19th at Barbès, they had none. "So, uh, in conclusion, this is Slavic Soul Party" Matt Moran, the band's composer and percussionist, a wiry, gregarious figure, stated. And they were off. What else is there to say about the band that has played at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn almost every Tuesday for almost 15 years? They have established themselves as an institution in the neighborhood and the number of veteran audience members often vastly outnumbers the firsttimers. Musicians are added throughout the night (and the band's lineup has been subject to rotations and adjustments over the years), but the group is primarily comprised of trumpets, drums, an accordion, a tuba, and a saxophone. Even those fairly unfamiliar with the general genre of Balkan brass will recognize and appreciate the dance-worthy elements that have been sampled in Billboard-topping dance anthems like Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty" and Fifth Harmony's "Worth It." Though the comparison is doubtless rather insulting to fans of Balkan brass and Slavic Soul Party! specifically, the overarching idea is simple - their music generates movement. It is remarkably impressive to witness the endurance of these musicians, particularly those on wind instruments (though Moran danced around and playfully engaged the audience while seemingly effortlessly balancing the weight and enor-

Page 22 Red Hook Star-Revue

mity of his bass drum). Slavic Soul Party! serves up music that is infectious and energetic - all the more so due to the band's lively stage presence, despite the fact that Barbès barely offers a stage. However, the lack of a physical separation between the audience and the band allows the band to mix and dance right along with those in the audience. Slavic Soul Party! can be seen playing at Barbès nearly every Tuesday night from 9 PM to around midnight for a small cover charge (10 dollars). Se-

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lect merchandise is also available for purchase, including CDs, t-shirts, and occasionally vinyl records. Their music can be streamed on Spotify or purchased on iTunes, but nothing beats the experience of dancing to the collaborative art created by these passionate and skilled musicians. To find out more about other, less regularly scheduled events, or for a somewhat more reliable venue for purchasing the band's various merchandise, visit their homepage at www.slavicsoulparty.com

January 2018

Q&A Legendary garage rocker Greg Cartwright of The Reigning Sound will be doing a solo set on Friday, March 29 at the new Hank‘s Saloon in downtown Brooklyn.

interview by Mike Cobb

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE OBLIVIONS. HE HAS ALSO WORKED WITH DAN AUERBACH OF THE BLACK KEYS, JACK WHITE’S SUPERGROUP THE RACONTEURS, AND PRODUCED MARY WEISS OF THE SHANGRI-LAS. ARTWRIGHT GOT HIS START IN

In the early aughts he began The Reigning Sound, a favorite on the underground rock circuit and regional radio stations like WFMU. For those seeking an entry point into Cartwright’s work, The Reigning Sound’s “Time Bomb High School” is a classic replete with melancholy, melody, and raucous pop-rock guitar crunch. The subsequent and aptly named release “Too Much Guitar” is a brutal, sonic assault on the ears guaranteed to raise hairs. Today Cartwright calls Asheville, North Carolina home. As a father of three, he tours when he can. An avid record Collector he also runs Legba records, a shop and a label. The Star spoke to Cartwright recently in anticipation of his upcoming show. SR: What’s different about your solo work versus The Reigning Sound? GC: Having no band effects how I perform some of the songs. At its best, solo performance allows for a more nuance in my delivery. SR: Can you tell us about your songwriting “process?” GC: Music is easy and words are hard. Writing about and being in the present is challenging. Songwriting doesn’t tend to be a uniform process; songs just come when they come. I just

have to hope I’m tuned in enough to put’em on paper. SR: When do you feel you’ve got a good tune? GC: When someone tells me what I am saying contains truth. Validation is very helpful because judging the merit of your own work is nearly impossible. SR: Are there early musical influences that you still draw from today? GC: Absolutely. Harry Nilsson, The Stones, The Byrds. If I heard it and liked it- it’s still influencing me. SR: What are the music scenes in Memphis and Asheville like today? GC: Memphis is a great place to start a band. Nobody cares what you’re doing so there’s very little pressure to conform. Asheville has become more reliant on the tourist industry. It doesn’t really foster originality, but there are still great local bands playing in very small rooms, like Fleetwoods, to locals. That is inspiring. SR: Can you tell us about working with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys? GC: When he approaches a project, he does it with artists he genuinely admires. He searches for what shared influences he may have with the artist he’s producing. In this way, the two camps can immediately know they’re on the same page, and once an artist is comfortable like that, you’re going to get the best they have to give. He’s tremendously talented and capable.

SR: What’s your relationship with WFMU & the NY metropolitan area? I know you lived here briefly for a bit. GC: I love the station. I love all free form, listener supported radio. I occasionally do shows for their Ichiban internet radio channel too, and there are several archives available at their website. I try to raise money and awareness for the station whenever I can. I also work at a listener supported station in Asheville called Asheville FM and do a weekly program called “Deep Cuts with Greg Cartwright”. SR: You’ve been doing this for a while. How have you seen the music industry change and what’s your take on where it’s at today? GC: The rise of streaming and the fall of physical manufacturing has really changed the way revenue is generated. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s really benefited the artists in any substantial way. Publishing funnels more and more to the top earners. Artists are not known to be great book keepers so for people of my generation, who started before the internet, it can all become very confusing. It’s evolving as we speak, so hopefully we’re headed for something better. SR: Goals for the future? GC: I want to keep making music, something useful, connective, and hopeful. I want to people to be vigilant in their hopes and dreams and active in their communities. Music is just background noise if it’s not connecting people. For more information on Greg Cartwright go to www.mergerecords.com

Art Schop’s Literary Litanies AnDrew B.White Brooklyn-based Art Schop is set to release his third album “Death Waits II” on March 15 with a show at Nublu in the East Village. Art Schop is essentially the work of Martin G. Walker, combined with the musical prowess of iconic East Village musician Jimi Zhivago. Zhivago was a legendary fixture at Ludlow Street’s Living Room, working with the likes of Glen Hansard, Martha and Rufus Wainwright and Kim Taylor, and founding member of roots music act Ollabelle (with Levon Helm’s daughter Amy). He was also a mentor to many musicians including the late Jeff Buckley. Zhivago first met Walker when he was called in as a session player for an album that Walker was recording under his own name. They became friends over time and, under Zhivago’s guidance, Walker proceeded to record an album NYC’s legendary (and now-closed) Magic Shop studios. Gradually, the pair developed a close working friendship and moved from traditional studios to a home studio set-up. This allowed more time to develop and perfect the songs, with Walker consciously moving away from traditional singer/ songwriter material to conceptual work. “Death Waits II” is part of a trilogy that started with “Wolfswork” (2012) and is the follow-up to "Death Waits I” (2016) – an album that based its songs on the lives and works of a diverse range of artists from David Bowie to Michelangelo. “Death Waits II” follows the same path but, while the first album focused on musicians and artists, the new album is entirely about writers: Emily Dickinson, Samuel Beckett, Sylvia Plath and James Joyce among them. The songs are part-observation, part assumed autobiography, and semi-

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Martin G. Walker and Jimi Zhivago, illustrated by Eric Collins narrative where the writers become the subject matter. The album’s liner notes aptly express this with a quote from Jorge Luis Borges – “all literature in the end is autobiographical.” In the case of Sylvia Plath (‘Have You Paid The Gas Bill’) her father Otto – who Walker says “takes over as the as the deluded narcissistic narrator of her fate” – mistakenly misdiagnosing his diabetes for cancer. Albert Camus is portrayed in ‘Existentialist Nostalgia’ via themes and feelings from three of his books “The Fall”, “The Plague” and “The Stranger.” The chorus of the song “…how easy

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Continued on page 24 March 2019, Page 23

Wellesonic Labs Stefan Zeniuk

Drummer Kenny Wollesen is as in-demand as a drummer gets. He’s recorded extensively with Tom Waits, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sex Mob, Norah Jones, Sean Lennon, just to name a small few. His unending depth in feel, groove, and intuitive response are what sets him apart, and gives him the versatility to be at home in almost any genre of music. But like any busy New York musician, he has side projects. And like any great musician, that side project is the thing that you really want to see. For Wollesen, that project is known as Sonic Massages. Picture this: a group of about seven or eight musicians, dressed in white lab coats with the moniker “Wollesonic Labs” emblazoned on the lapel, using a small moving truck’s worth of homemade instruments, broken umbrellas with whirly-gigs on the end that whiz, eggbeats that chime, a mouse-trap attached to a door stopper; it’s a menagerie that is a dreamlike mix between Harry Partch’s Instrumentarium and Alexander Calder’s mobiles. The audience sits, or usually lies, on the ground, with their eyes closed, while the wildest and strangest sounding instruments whiz and whirl past their ears, as foreign sounds transport people into a strange land, with no direct place of reference. Though not intended as a visual art show, it’s quite a strange site to behold. It’s important (though not an enforced rule, but a suggestion), that the audience keep their eyes closed. “I think you hear better with your eyes closed. At least I do,” Wollesen says. “But most people don’t make it the whole time with their eyes closed ‘cause visually, it’s kind of crazy to look at. It becomes like a ballet. The music is coming from all over the place, from below and above.” Originally from the bay area, Wollesen wound up working with Tom Waits in the early 90s. Waits

lives in Sebastopol, a small northern Californian town that was a hotbed for musical instrument builders. People like Richard Waters, Bart Hopkin, and Tom Nunn all lived in this small town, and Waits (of course) was friends with all of them. While working with Waits, he was introduced to these instruments and their colorful inventors. Years later, John Zorn asked Wollesen to make some instruments for a piece he was writing. He

developing a small Sleep Box army. He was just making them for fun, because they were weird, and nice. To hear him talk about the process it just seemed.... natural and obvious. In the mid 2000s, he was part of a residency at Mass MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), when he created and developed a series of instruments, all weirder and stranger than the next, with a group of other like-minded musicians. They decided to put on a concert with all these creations, and thus the Sonic Massage was born.

Despite the name, he doesn’t see the project as a form of acoustic massage, or meditation. “Sound baths are popular these days. It’s about specific notes that resonate in your chakra, and that’s cool, but Sonic Massage is more about music as a concert, as a human force.” It revels in finding a new way for audience members and musicians alike to experience the musical act. One of the things that keeps Wollesen fascinated with the group is that nobody experiences the same “concert” -- not even the musicians truly know the full extent of what’s happening. Many of the instruments are so tiny and quiet, that the only person that can hear it is the performer and the Sonic-Massage audience member (who has the tiny instrument photo by Sara Valentine and HONK NYC playing, literally, a few inches from their ears). “A Lot of the sounds are unidentifiable. There’s one drew upon the instruments he’d seen while workinstrument that sounds like a dog sniffing your ing with Waits, and tried his hand at making his face. And the reality is, it’s the farthest thing from own creations. “For an instrument, all you need that. It’s a giant big horn!” is something that’s super rigid, and something that’s super flexible, and those two things togeth- “The funny thing is that now, we’ve been doing this so long, it’s like a band. Everybody performing er make sound. A reed, a string, a drum head.” kind of just knows what everybody else is going to The first instrument that he made was called the do, and we anticipate everybody’s next decision. Sleep Grinder - a crank box, “powered” by the guts But none of us can actually hear the whole thing, of a meat grinder, that creates a very mellow, hypor what we’re doing! It’s really great, to be like a notic, and meditative sound. The Sleep Grinder is band with these strange instruments.” small, and he found he could play it on his back, lying down. With his eyes closed, it’s rhythmic For more information, visit Wollesen’s website: repetition hypnotizing, he made more of them, www.wollesonic.com

Art Schop, continued it was to ignore the paradox of pain” represents Camus’ hankering for a previous and simplifier life with Jean Paul Sartre. Of course, the theme for all of the songs is an ultimate and universal mortality. Musically, Art Schop (a name derived from19th century German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer) combines “Hunky Dory”-era Bowie with Leonard Cohen via Nick Cave. Less ‘murder ballad’ and more ‘murder narrative’ the ten songs here swagger, creep, and draw you in to their characters’ plights. “Death Waits II” is meticulously recorded with guitars, bass and keys expertly played by Zhivago and Walker, and Chris Heinz on drums. The album was mixed by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Breeders, Sebadoh, Phish, Yo La Tengo) and mastered by Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Jessica Thompson.

As life often imitates art, it is unfortunate that Jimi Zhivago passed away after a short illness in late 2018, not long after this album was completed. A great loss to all of those in his musical circle, his passing deeply affected many. Fittingly, the release show for “Death Waits II” on Friday March 15 will also be a tribute to Jimi and his legacy. The band for the show features Cameron Greider on guitar (Chris Cornell, Natalie Merchant, Martha & Rufus Wainwright, Joan Baez, Sean Lennon), Jack Petruzelli on guitar and keys (Patti Smith, Joan Osborne, Ian Hunter, Rufus Wainwright), Chris Heinz on drums and New Zealand bassist Andrew B. White. There is no cover charge for entry and a special-edition CD of “Death Waits II” will be available at the show.

Discover what you love 357 Van Brunt Street

Page 24 Red Hook Star-Revue

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WINE & SPIRITS

wetwhistlewines.com

February 2019

Lafayette the dog

Vinegar Works Guitars Mike Cobb For musicians seeking something different, Vinegar Works Guitars in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn delivers just that. Owner Jessi Carter launched his business in April 2018 and specializes in restoring vintage instruments, usually Japanese brands from the 1960’s such as Kawai, Kent, Teisco, and Zen On. For American consumers more familiar with Gibsons or Fenders, these Japanese gems provide pleasant surprises. About their character Carter says, “Japanese designs are spectacular, and the range of tones from the pickups is wide and varied from warm and bluesy to twangy and cutting. They have a texture and responsiveness that isn’t found (except in specific boutique pickups) in contemporary guitars. There is such diversity and so much to appreciate.” As to the particular challenges of working on Japanese guitars Carter states, “They usually haven’t gotten the maintenance that more valued instruments receive and thus often have playability problems. They have a well-earned reputation for wonkus necks, questionable structural integrity, and are usually not just a set-up away from being great players. The work often involves a lot of neck reinforcement, rebuilding neck joints, and replacing fingerboards. But once you get the whole thing solid and resonating, the tone just comes bursting out. They really become a joy to play at that point.” With a background in visual arts - ink and watercolor on rice paper, printmaking, and wood pyrography (burning images onto wood), Carter takes restoration a step further by creating original graphic designs resulting in truly unique pieces. A visit to his website shows a 1965 Guyatone made Kent Lido guitar with tear drops, psychedelic eyeballs, and floral, serpentine designs on the pickguard and fretboard. Carter is also interested in what these guitars represent to the history of music. “These guitars show the

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transition from musical instruments as an old-world craft to a consumer commodity, as well as the drive to mass-produce musical instruments at a price point that any budget could afford, and the marketing of musical instruments as a thing everyone would want. In a lot of ways, that’s the history of the democratization of popular music. By studying the practice of rebranding guitars, we know that many of these instruments were sold at places we wouldn’t think of as guitar shops now - drugstores, automotive stores, etc.” So, who buys these guitars, and what’s the market like? “The market is certainly developing with more interest than even a few years ago. Part of my role is just straight-up advocacy. These instruments do have usefulness, charm, and quality aside from just kitsch value. It usually takes some doing to bring that quality out in the open, but they’re worth the effort. People like Ry Cooder and Blake Mills have done their part in popularizing the sound of some of these pickups, and that’s terrific, but rather than just farming out the pickups, I’m looking to save as much of the instruments intact as possible,” claims Carter. Vinegar Works Guitars also does truss rod adjustment, cleaning, and electronic tweaking to bring your old instrument to its former glory or beyond. Though the majority of the guitars for sale so far have been electric, Carter also works on acoustic instruments. A visit to his Facebook page shows photos of repairs in progress including a pair of mandolins and a Del Oro Parlor Guitar with vintage “Cowboy” graphics. When asked about amplifier and effect pedal repair Carter declares, “Oh absolutely. There’s never been anything I didn’t want to take apart and see how it works!” To see the inventory or schedule a repair, check out Jessi Carter’s website at: www.vinegarworksguitars.com.

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March 2019, Page 25

ARTS CALENDAR

March 1

March 2

Pioneer Works welcomes the Danish artist Joep Van Lieshoutfor for a three-decade survey of his work with “Atelier Van Lieshout: The CryptoFuturist and The New Tribal Labyrinth.” The artist may be best known for his mobile homes that question domestic life (that or large scale cartoonish replicas of human genitalia). Atelier is an intentional misnomer, echoing his attention to place ﬁne art and utility on equal playing ﬁelds. Well-regarded in Europe, this will be Van Lieshoutfor’s largest US exhibition. Through April 14. The opening is March 1, 7-9pm. 159 Pioneer Street.

Through April 13, Kustera Projects features alluring abstract works on paper by Gloria Klein. Klein has been active on the New York art scene for more than ﬁve decades. “Her rigorous and colorful geometric abstract works are based on her own mathematical system for dividing and organizing her canvases and systematically distributing colors to create stunning and detailed compositions. Klein uses this process to experiment with her palettes and compositions, creating intricate patterns that range from completely chaotic to highly structured conﬁgurations.” The opening is March 2, 6-8pm. 57 Wolcott Street.

March 1

March 5

Brooklyn Music School offers an innovative form of music therapy with Sound Baths, a form of meditation with crystals, hand pans, and gongs. Katie Down, the school’s chair of music therapy, leads the session that focuses on self-healing through sound. 126 Saint Felix Street.

Brooklyn Historical Society celebrates “On the (Queer) Waterfront,” a h/t to Walt Whitman and an extensive look at the LGBQT* history recorded since the early 1800s. The exhibition coincides with the launch of Hugh Ryan’s When

MUSIC CALENDAR * critics pick

Bene’s RECORD SHOP 360 Van Brunt St.

JALOPY THEATRE 315 Columbia St.

Brooklyn Was Queer. 6-8pm, March 5. The exhibition, with ancillary events, runs through Aug 4. 128 Pierrepont St.

March 6 It’s the last day to see Glenn Goldberg’s solo show, “The Word is Not the Thing” at La Bodega Gallery. True to name, the gallery transformed itself to a shop of sorts where some of the printed pieces were made with the gallery’s owner Miguel Ayuso. 695 5th Avenue.

March 7 Thursday’s the time to visit DUMBO. First Thursday Gallery Walk is the best chance to see what’s the latest in the neighborhood. 6-8pm

The third BRIC biennial is focusing on South Brooklyn, and there are several events you may want to check out. One

718-855-0360

718-395-3214

All Shows 8:30PM, unless noted.

jalopytheatre.org

Banjo Workshop w/ Allison de Groot

Listening Party Dance Party Music.Friendly.Dancing

Every Sunday Night, 7PM The Circus Lovesick with Annalyn Lehnig One woman show. Every Tuesday Night, 9PM

Fiddle Workshop with Bruce Molsky 8PM: Molsky’s Mountain Drifters: CD RELEASE SHOW! SUN 3/31, 11AM

Open Mic Night, sign up by 9 sharp!

Like Father, Like Son

41 Seabring St.

Each performer gets 2 songs or 8 minutes.

Lou Gallo & Frank Gallo

de-construkt.com

Every Wednesday, 9PM

Check Local Listings!

Roots n’ Ruckus - hosted by Feral Foster.

DE-Construkt

IBEAM

168 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Ave. ibeambrooklyn.com

shows at 8PM unless otherwise printed. FRI 3/15* Biliana Voutchkova & Susan Alcorn SAT 3/16* Ben Stapp’s Mind Creature Sound Dasein

Joe Morris - Guitar Stephen Haynes - Trumpet Ben Stapp - Tuba FRI 3/22 Kazuki Yamanaka - Saxophone Russ Lossing - Piano Cameron Brown - Bass Gerald Cleaver - Drums SUN 3/24 7PM Emi Makabe Trio Thomas Morgan - Bass Victor Gonç

635 Sackett St. littlefieldnyc.com

THURS 3/7, 9PM

FRI 3/8, 10:30PM

Doc Watson 96th Birthday Spectacular

Ladies First: A Dance Party Celebrating Badass Women of Music

10th Casa Montessori Winter Fundraiser SAT 3/9 2PM: Fiddle Workshop with Libby Weitnauer 4PM: Banjo Workshop with Jake Blount 8PM: TUI with City Stompers Concert & Square Dance SUN 3/10 11AM: Rolie Polie Guacamole 3:30PM: Ultime and Folk Slow Jam with Hilary Hawke

Red Hook Labs present its third “Foam Talent,” curated by the Dutch photography magazine Foam. Of nearly 2,000 entrants, here are 20 rising image-makers from around the world. Through April

Damon Smith - bass Weasel Walter - drums

ROCKY SULLIVAN’S

10. The opening is March 21, 6-9pm. 133 Imlay Street.

March 26 Pioneer Works hosts singing lessons! Sort of. The experimental song maker Arrington De Dionyso presents on techniques both ancient and novel that are used by contemporary sound poets. GA is $25. 7-9pm.

March 28 Target Margin theater continues its multiyear look into “The One Thousand and One Nights.” The upcoming segment, also directed by David Herskovits, “Marjana and the Forty Thieves” turns the story of Ali Baba upside-down by looking at Marjana, the slave-girl who ends up saving his ass. 232 52nd Street. Tickets start at $25. Editors note: Unless stated otherwise, all quotes from this article are from institutional press releases.

all shows 9PM unless otherwise printed.

Noon - 3pm / 6 - 8pm Unless Otherwise Printed

Smokey’s Round-Up*

SUN 3/10 The Haggard Kings / Beat Kaestli

718-246-8050 rockysullivansredhook. com

For Full Listings see Ad on this Page!

46 Beard St.

Always three sets on Fridays! Check Local Listings!

SUNNYS

Americana

EVERY WED A late night Raucous Western Swing dance party with virtuoso guitarist, Smokey Hormel. Three sets.

SUN 3/17 Hilary Hawke and friends / The Avalanches SUN 3/24 The Avalanches / Jesse Lenat SUN 3/31 Jack Grace / The Wild Goats

SUPERFINE 126 Front St.

253 Conover St.

superfine.nyc

718-625-8211

EVERY SUNDAY

sunnysredhook.com

Bluegrass Green Chile Brunch / Evening Jazz and

SUNNY'S BAR

Presented by Miz Elizabeth and the saint. FRI 3/15, 8PM I Get Wild - playing the music of the Talking Heads

MARCH 2019

ALL SHOWS 9PM UNLESS LISTED OTHERWISE

Michael Shannon’s Corporal Dirty Cosmos SAT 3/16, 11PM Be Cute Brooklyn Presented by Matty Beats X Horrorchata THURS 3/21, 7PM Noise Control DJ Groovy J

8PM: Exceedingly Good Song Night

Stargiela, K$ace, Mia Milz

FRI 3/15, 8PM

Flee, ABG Neal, Auntie Naj

Los Herederos 1st Annual Musical Bash: Pro-Fondos

Easy European, Connie Diamonds, Cig Droopy

SAT 3/16, 7:30PM Tucci Western Swing Band Ham Rodeo SUN 3/17, 11AM Hopalong Andrew

JALOPY TAVERN

317 Columbia St. 718-625-3214 jalopytavern.biz Every FRI, 9PM Papa Vega and the Rocket 88’s THURS 3/7 Dime Store Romeos

LITTLEFIELD

Real deal folk music in NYC. Free!

FRI 3/8, 7PM

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) hosts nine thought-provoking and technically excellent shorts by nine NYC-based ﬁlmmakers. From animation to documentary and everything in-between. Highlights include “She’s Revolutionary” directed by B. Mont and “The Joyous Farmer” by Hiran Balasuriya. 30 Layfayette Street

SAT 3/30 3PM: Guitar Workshop w/ Stash Wyslouch

SAT 3/23*

March 19

March 21

March 8

8:30PM: Christy McNamara w/ David Sidman

highlight is a panel discussion of artists and activists around art and social change. Danielle Wu, who curated, along with Connie Kang, Virtual and Real Estate, a project by the collective An/Other, which is on display through April 7 at BRIC’s main location. Tonight’s discussion the exhibition is free

FRI 3/22, 8:30PM Choir! Choir! Choir! ***SOLD OUT*** SAT 3/23, 8:30PM Choir! Choir! Choir! ***SOLD OUT***

PIONEER WORKS 159 Pioneer St.

pioneerworks.com All Shows 7PM unless printed. MON 3/25* False Harmonics #2: YoshimiO/Robert A.A. Lowe Duo +

SUN 3/24

Jaap Blonk Quartet

11AM: Family Fun with Suzi Shelton

w/ Jeb Bishop - trombone

Page 26 Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019

COLUMN

ast Thursday I sat through almost three hours of a city process that will force permanent, sudden transformation on a neighborhood that has undergone only incremental change since the Dutch first showed up in Brooklyn. The very next night I sat through two hours of something quite similar, albeit on a smaller scale. The one constant in both cases was the willingness of the same council member to entertain, or perhaps even promote, greater density in the name of affordable housing. The first meeting began with a patient presenter from the Department of City Planning going through their latest iteration of the rezoning of Gowanus. I kind of felt sorry for him. It’s not his fault that Gowanus will be going the way of Williamsburg, but he’s the one who has to deliver the bad news to the civic activists who are fighting a losing battle. In the old days (back when I was the age of today’s hipsters), Gowanus’ main import was as a conduit to Park Slope for those like myself who lived in places like Boerum Hill. Aside from the housing projects, Gowanus was mostly home to small industry, drug dealers, and scrap metal places. In fact, a way of life for some addicts back in those days was to steal anything metal from anything abandoned and sell it to the scrap dealer for cash. The only time in my life that I was searched by cops while laid out against a car was near Thomas Greene Park, back in the day. Prostitutes used to hang out in Gowanus, and the cops wanted to know what a white guy was doing walking around the park at 10 am. In those days, my office was right near where the Barclay Center is now, and I started parking in Gowanus to force myself to take a daily walk. Sanitation Commissioner Norman Steisel was picked up around that time for soliciting sa prostitute, so I guess that made me suspect as well. That was in 1997. Just a dozen years later is when the percolating real estate markets to the east and west of Gowanus – Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, respectively, was spreading to the conduit. A 2009 rezoning plan

MY TWO WILD DAYS IN ZONING CLASS by George Fiala was developed but put on hold when at about the same time, Congesswoman Nydia Velazquez finally took action to clean up the canal and successfully had it declared a Superfund site. I remember being curious why the Bloomberg administration fought so adamantly against the Superfund, but now I see that it was because it postponed the rezoning, making the developers wait a little longer. A little more background: In 2003, the Bloomberg administration put through a downzoning of Park Slope. The wish of the homeowners was to prevent large developments from coming into the neighborhood – in other words, to preserve the neighborhood character. In exchange, 4th Avenue was upzoned which allowed 12 story buildings to replace much more humble residences, many of

would bring back communities. As the neighborhoods developed, the problems changed. By 1996, Lander was quoted in the NY Times saying “’The mission of the Fifth Avenue Committee is to preserve the racial and economic diversity of lower Park Slope and to insure that all residents benefit from the area’s development,’’ he said, ‘’which means to make sure low-income people are not displaced.’’

No givebacks The 2003 rezoning did not require developers to give back anything to the community in exchange for the opportunity for profit given to them. There was no requirement for any street amenities, or for any affordable housing, much to the chagrin of Lander and the then local councilman Bill de Blasio.

One can imagine how different Red Hook would look today were Brad the councilman. We’d have a high rise district on Van Brunt Street for sure. Luckily, our councilman, Carlos Menchaca, who is also a big believer in affordable housing, also understands the need for balance between change and tradition. them lived in for years by relatively poor families. Rezonings make the same land worth more, and the small buildings were bought up en masse by developers amassing plots to build large buildings upon. The sanitization of the neighborhood left it ripe for development. This was a point in time when Brad Lander was a well known community leader as head of the Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC), an affordable housing corporation. FAC was founded in the late 1970’s, when urban blight caused mass abandonment of properties. The city was just about giving away vacant lots and abandoned buildings to local development groups to create housing that

Mandatory inclusionary housing was not a city policy at that time, although it had been required in certain rezonings. As the Times wrote in 2003, “Inclusionary zoning has been tried in the most dense residential zones in Manhattan, Ms. [Amanda] Burden said, but has failed to produce many moderately priced apartments. Advocates and developers say that is because there are more attractive tax incentives available for constructing low-cost housing that do not exist in the other boroughs, and not because the concept is flawed.” Skip ahead a dozen years and de Blasio is the Mayor and Lander, who succeeded de Blasio as the local councilman, occupies the second highest position in the City Council. The mayor, backed by the City Council, passes the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) bill. This forces developers to include affordable housing in any project that enjoyed greater density due to an upzoning. Lander, whose career is grounded upon affordable housing is its biggest proponent. Nobody doubts his sincerity, at least I don’t. MIH will prevent the 2003 Fourth Avenue debacle from ever happening again. But a new problem is created. By shifting the responsibility for building af-

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fordable housing to private developers, a city manager/politician looking to create more affordable housing has to, by default, allow for out of scale buildings that redefine communities. Hence a steady stream of dissenters heading to microphones throughout public hearings all over the city, complaining about losing their quirky neighborhood and its history to sterile high-rise developments. The Gowanus rezoning, with each succeeding plan revealing ever increasing building heights (2009 – 12 stories, 2018 – 17 stories, 2019 up to 30 stories), is a foregone conclusion. The gritty Gowanus of today will be a memory. As a businessman who spoke at the meeting said, “it’s difficult to operate a construction business from the fourth floor,” noting the replacement of one and two story bildings with towers. It must be scary to have your neighborhood at the mercy of a rezoning. We live in a world that embraces change, but extreme change will usually be disconcerting, to say the least. The very next night, I found myself on Columbia Street at a meeting of locals upset at a smaller rezoning of 41 Summit Street, right next to the Chase Bank on Hamilton Avenue. What happened is that a few years ago, the feds auctioned off a building that had been seized in the early 1990’s because of its use in selling cocaine, probably right off the nearby ships. I noticed a couple of guys in the building, sitting around a grill. They weren’t too fancy looking, just a couple of local investor types (as was, by the way, Greg O’Connell back in the beginning of his real estate career). I remember what the place looked like right before the auction. It was frozen in time, a few dusty coffee roasting machines, and a giant safe drilled through by the Feds twenty years earlier. If you go online, you’ll see that they put in new floors and a kitchen and tried to rent it out as a commercial loft. Someone must have told them that they could make a lot more money having it rezoned as a five-story residential building. In today’s market they could get as much as a million and a half per floor if they condo it. I’m guessing that they were told by their real estate attorney, someone from the zoning specialist company Sheldon Lobel, LLC, that they might as well shoot for the moon and try for permission to build seven or eight floors.

Five OK, Seven is too much At five floors, nobody in the neighborhood would have complained – it’s pretty much in scale with the area. But, in order to avoid the illegality of what is called ‘spot zoning,’ they added two adjacent lots to their application – the Chase property and the building next door that recently housed a bagel shop on the first floor. continued on next page

March 2019

The other owners did not appear at any hearings, but were the rezoning to go through, the lots could be built together to create an even larger monstrosity, but – because of MIH – would now require a few affordable apartments in the mix. This would cast a large shadow on the beautiful community garden on the corner. Dave Lutz told us at the meeting that they have many people who have boxes in the garden and grow tomatoes and vegetables in the areas that get sun. A building would end that. Having a seven story building jutting out in a line of houses about half that size would be ugly, and architecturally inappropriate. Finallyh, once one seven story building is allowed, it will be that much easier to get permission to build five or six more outsized projects in the vicinity – there are still vacant lots in the vicinity. That’s what Community Board 6 thought when the plan was presented to them last year. It was voted down 15-1. Borough President Eric Adams heard the plan next, and agreed with the neighbors that five stories was good enough. But next in line was the Department of City Planning (the same people shepherding the Gowanus project), and for a technical reason they decided to allow seven stories. The last hearing before this plan becomes reality is this Wednesday at the City Council. An emergency neighborhood meeting was called on the Friday before to figure out how to save this portion of the Columbia Waterfront District. We got together last Friday at the offices of the Carroll

Brad Lander listening to the people of the Columbia Waterfront District Gardens Association, at 201 Columbia Street. For about an hour we discussed different strategies to try and convince the councilman Brad Lander, that this was no good. People will take a day off from work and go testify. Additionally, letters and emails from the community will be sought to show the Council, and Brad, what the neighbors think. And then Brad himself showed up. That’s when I found out for myself why this plan, which, back in October I called crazy, here in this paper, has a chance of becoming reality. Brad told us that he understands how much a neighborhood can love its garden, and that he also understands how a neighborhood could want to preserve its height restrictions, and keep the opportunity to see the blue

A little humor

sky, and that he could even understand why a neighborhood might not want to overcrowd its schools and transportation systems. But he admitted to one thing that might override these concerns in his mind. And that is affordable housing. Brad kind of looked dreamy eyed as he contemplated adding to the number of affordable rate apartments he might possibly be remembered for during his tenure as a city councilman. He said that he might, maybe, change his thinking when he makes the decision about this application, but only if the city council lawyers tell him that MIH kicks in at the five story zoning level.

In this issue of the Star-Revue, we profile 11 new buildings built in Red Hook over the past couple of years.

LETTERS Good work! Just a short note of journalistic appreciation to the Star-Revue for a rare serious long-form look at a major local community planning issue such as the Fortis Towers project on the Cobble Hill LICH site. The piece by Brett Yates was thorough and fair-minded and, most important, highly informative - qualities quite rare in most local Brooklyn reporting these days. As a long-time (now former) journalist who lives nearby and follows these local development & zoning issues quite closely, I learned a lot. I would think even some of the central actors in this saga - Brad Lander, Roy Sloan, the current CHA leadership - would think that they and the issues involved were treated fairly and accurately. I hope the piece is read beyond the Star-Revue’s immediate

Red Hook Star-Revue

All of them share one attribute – they were all built within existing zoning regulations. Meaning all are five stories or less.

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Red Hook/Gowanus circulation area. Many of us would welcome a similar in-depth analysis of other running local development controversies somewhat outside but directly affecting that area, such as the BQE ‘Promenade Highway’ plan, the BQX, and the management and final construction phase of Brooklyn Bridge Park, to cite three obvious examples. I would have sent this note to Brett Yates himself, but didn’t see an email address for him (or any other editorial staff ) in either the print edition or the website. Maybe I missed it. It would be useful to put reporter contact info in story footers to encourage reader feedback, including possible additional or corrective information and even the occasional actual reader-sourced news scoops! Again, congratulations on the thoughtful and constructive piece keep up the good work!- Bill Orme

March 2019, Page 29

Jam’it adds Caribbean spice to the hood

ed Hook has a new Jamaican bistro. Jam’it, a block up from DeFonte’s, opened it’s doors last month.

A lot of effort was put into the presentation of this Jamaican fusion restaurant. It took over two years after getting the property to finally open, since they had to build a brand-new kitchen in the back and get the building department to certify the restaurant. I walked in as a group of local teachers were sampling the food. More eager customers arrived as time went on. This is the only establishment that offers Jamaican food in Red Hook. I tried their rice and peas, which is a Jamaican staple. It was perfectly seasoned. Chef Leo added garlic powder and coconut cream to augment the taste. Dawn Skeete found this space by chance and wants to embrace this community as much as she can. “We don’t just want to be a restaurant, we want to be part of the community and grow with it,” Skeete said. “We do that by hiring people who live in the community, since it is difficult for folks who live outside of the community to get in,” Skeete said. They already have two locals on the payroll.

by Nathan Weiser

The restaurant was busy with eager customers all month, which was something she was not really prepared for but was pleased that came to fruition. Skeete, who previously worked at her family’s restaurant, Jamaica Grill in Bedford Stuy, thought the reaction to her restaurant from residents and businesses was tremendous. “Two prayers were going up at the same time,” Skeete said about her desire for customers and Red Hook’s desire for an establishment like hers. “I was praying for customers and customers were praying for a Jamaican restaurant. Somehow both prayers were met and both prayers were answered!”

Not just Jamaican They have classic Jamaican dishes as well as Irie Soul plate dinners. The Ire Soul plates can include a delicious blend of Jamaican meat with American sides, where one can get jerk chicken with potato salad, mac and cheese, collard greens or yams. They also have a Breden/Amici section. Amici means friend in Italian, and in Jamaica Bredren also means friend, so this section is a fusion of Jamaican meat with Italian sides/

pastas. For example, one can get traditional Rasta Pasta, Pasta Aglio, Pasta Marinara or Pasta Pesto. “Rasta pasta has become known as fusion of Jamaican spices and Italian pasta,” Skeete said at a table in the restaurant. “Not everyone likes the Rasta pasta, so we do a pasta aglio, we can offer them different types of pasta.” They do meatballs with jerk sauce to add a kick. They make it authentically their own and use the Jamaican seasonings and spices.

Oxtail “Now every other person is coming asking ‘can I get the Jamaican Oxtail Dinner’” Skeete said. “The Jerk chicken has been a favorite as well. We do offer options for vegetarian folks and we are looking into ensuring whatever dish we offer for vegan folks is truly vegan. Not only are we a melting pot of different cultures, we are also a melting pot of different digestive systems in terms of our dietary needs. . “Red Hook is a very diverse community so we wanted to be able to appeal to a cross section of that community, Skeete said. “New York, for that matter is a melting pot of cultures and we want to be a representative of New York in an authentic fashion.” “If I can just break it down, we appeal to black folks and we appeal to white folks,” Skeete said. “The only way we can make money is satisfying the people in the community.” According to the restaurant’s owner, Chef Leo is at Jam’It Bistro because he believes in the vision that the establishment has. Two people who live in Red Hook are currently working at Jam’It and they hope to hire as time goes by and the business continues to grow.

between $9-11. Another addition she wants to add in the future is a partnership with the Red Hook Community Farm. A man from the farm next to IKEA has come in and talked to her and they are looking into incorporating some of their seasonal vegetables into what they make. “We will be killing two birds with one stone,” Skeete said. “We will be patronizing another vendor within the community while at the same time giving people what is seasonal. That is part of the experience.” A final addition will be their own cultural juices, under the brand “happy,” that will be available in the store on March 2. Flavors include sorrel, pineapple ginger and ginger lemon. The juices will initially just be sold at Jam’It Bistro but as the months go by they plan on offering the juices in other stores.

People are finding Jam’it Word has spread about this innovative restaurant on Columbia Street between Luquer St and Seabring St. in a variety of ways. Residents have been taking flyers and giving them to their friends and family. Skeete believes that this has helped an instrumental way that their name has gotten out there. “That just shows us that the people of Red Hook are happy we are here, want us to stay and are willing to go the extra mile to help us grow,” Skeete added. “We can’t ask for better than that.

The food at Jam’It Bistro is made to order and is always fresh for the customers. “Some individuals come in and say we are a little pricey,” Skeete said. “They say we are a little pricey but when they have the food, they taste the reason we are a little pricey. We don’t skimp on the seasonings. The containers we use are biodegradable containers, those containers are a little pricey. Vegetarian dishes cost $11-13, salads cost $8, Irie Soul Dinners cost between $12-19, Jamaican classic dinners with sides cost $11-15, the Bredren/Amici section costs $10-19 and a plan roti wrap is $4 while various fillings are

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Dawn Skeete is happy to bring Red Hook some special tastes. (photo by Weiser)

March 2019

Khary Bekka speaks at South Brooklyn High School by George Fiala

him aside. He was given a choice between not seeing his mother, or seeing his mother and serving 72 hours in an observation room.

Bekka, who was born in the 1970’s in Red Hook, spoke of his life in institutions. He and his brother were removed from a difficult family situation and sent to a group home.

Of course he saw him mom, and afterwards he began crying. “I knew it was time for me to stop hustling,” he explained to the teenagers. That was when he began a slow path to rehabilitation. “I started seeing new doors opening up for me,” he said.

outh Brooklyn HS kids were treated to a different sort of speaker on the afternoon of March 1. Khary Bekka came to speak about his life which includes 26 years in prisons throughout New York State.

By the time he was 17, he was back in Red Hook and hanging out in gangs, wanting to be the big man in the neighborhood. He and his friends were acting out a gun battle with real guns. He spoke of hearing that a principal was shot dead. They didn’t think they were responsible, and according to Bekka voluntarily turned themselves in. Each of the three received 25 years to life sentences, Bekka is the first to be released, explaining that he is on lifetime parole. He spoke movingly of his life change. He said that prison mirrors the outside world, and for his first ten years he continued to life a gang lifestyle. One day his mother took an eighthour train ride to visit him in an upstate prison. While waiting to see him, a guard noticed Bekka being involved in a petty drug transaction, and took

After speaking for about ten minutes, he opened the floor for questions. After a period of silence, one girl raised her hand and asked who it was that got killed. He told them it was PS 15’s principal Patrick Daly, and a hush went through the gym. After that the questions came fast and furious. Bekka is a Quaker, and he has been working with the American Friends Institute, as well as with the Red Hook Justice Center. Judge Alexander Calabrese, of the Red Hook Justice Center also spoke to the kids. He was there to swear in a group of students who had finished the Peacemaking program. He explained a bit about the program, which works to solve problems using techniques other than punishment and jail. It is based upon Native American justice.

Khary Bekka speaking to the students.

Judge Alex Calabrese and the new Peacemakers from the South Brooklyn High School (photo by George Fiala)

Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019, Page 31

Brett Yates: The Tonnage of the World

Red Hook Is Not New York’s Healthiest Neighborhood

n late January, the website StreetEasy published a study (of sorts) that determined “The 10 Healthiest Neighborhoods in NYC.” To the surprise of many, Red Hook earned the top spot on the list. StreetEasy is a real estate database that lists New York City properties for sale or rent. It is not a medical authority. Its criteria for neighborhood health did not seek to take into account the actual health of residents: rates for disease, obesity, or mental illness played no part in the analysis. Instead, StreetEasy used a formula based on real estate amenities, consumer habits, and civic infrastructure. The data came from its own archives, with additional information from Seamless (the food-ordering service), Yelp (the crowd-sourced review platform), and NYC Open Data (a public catalogue of facts and figures from city agencies).

StreetEasy’s concern extended to four factors: the “share of apartments in buildings with bike rooms, gyms and smoke-free policies on StreetEasy”; the “number of restaurants that fulfilled the highest amount of healthy food orders on Seamless”; the “number of gyms, fitness studios, pools, doctor’s offices, and health and wellness facilities on Yelp”; and “the number of bike lanes, public parks, community gardens, recreation centers, sports fields, nature areas and farmer’s markets, as found via NYC Open Data.” According to StreetEasy, Red Hook boasts “the most public park space per capita,” but the study doesn’t acknowledge that lead contamination has closed the area’s ballfields, which continue to await remediation. Additionally, the neighborhood has “the second-highest number of bike lanes per capita in the whole city,” but this statistic arguably owes more to Red Hook’s unusually low population density than to a plethora of bike lanes, which exist on Columbia Street, Imlay Street, and small segments of Beard Street and Halleck Street near IKEA. In truth, Red Hook’s quaint cobblestones can make life a challenge on a road bike. With a transparently worthless methodology (“Restaurants in the area also receive twice the orders for brown rice as for white rice”), the StreetEasy neighborhood health evaluation registers as disposable blog content, not as scientific inquiry. How many people in Red Hook even use yuppie food-delivery apps like Seamless? Still, the New York Times and Forbes both noticed StreetEasy’s project and repeated its findings.

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In December, the academic medical center NYU Langone published its own health assessment for Red Hook, which it had deemed “an under-resourced and medically underserved community.” NYU Langone’s polls pointed in particular to the local problem of asthma, exacerbated by mold, unreliable heating, and vermin infestation in the Red Hook Houses. A 2009 survey by the nonprofit Red Hook Initiative found that 26 percent of Red Hook Houses residents suffered from asthma (compared to five percent citywide), and 18 percent had diabetes (compared to eight percent citywide). In 2014, these residents lost their nearest hospital when New York State shuttered Long Island College Hospital. Last year, Public Advocate Letitia James put NYCHA at the top of her annual Worst Landlords Watchlist, thanks in large part to its failure to protect children from the dangers of lead paint. The list noted that, of all the NYCHA developments, the Red Hook Houses had the greatest need for repairs.

$1,400,000. Its neighborhood guide states that “Red Hook is unlike any other neighborhood in the city. No place else will you find its unpretentious mix of Brooklyn artist chic and decaying maritime infrastructure. . . . Red Hook brims with creativity. The neighborhood is full of unexpected entrepreneurship and innovation.” True enough. StreetEasy mentions Red Hook’s “small-town charm,” “quiet streets,” and “quirky and community-focused restaurants,” calling the neighborhood “rugged and beautiful.” It doesn’t mention NYCHA. The real estate industry – the developers, the landlords, and the brokers, who post their listings on StreetEasy – benefits by putting forth an image of Red Hook that erases the Red Hook Houses. In the popular imagination it’s already begun to take hold. For instance, the official synopsis for the 2018 indie dramedy Hearts Beat Loud identifies its setting as “the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red

Hook.” The movie contains plentiful shots of the waterfront at sunset, of the Civil War-era warehouses, of the storefronts on Van Brunt Street, but somehow the camera never glimpses the Red Hook Houses. The only black characters are biracial lesbian hipster teens who love alternative rock. Even the patrons at Sunny Bar’s have morphed exclusively into beautiful twentysomethings, with the exceptions of actors Nick Offerman and Toni Colette. There’s money in a place like this. Say it again and again: the majority of Red Hook residents live in the Red Hook Houses. StreetEasy isn’t likely to know much about a neighborhood where public housing units vastly outnumber private apartments. But this much should be self-evident: no one can say that Red Hook is a healthy community until the health needs of Red Hook Houses residents have been met.

By NYCHA’s count, 6,290 people live in the Red Hook Houses. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income in the Houses, which constitute their own census tract, is $14,229. According to the University of California, San Francisco, adults who live below the poverty line have lifespans seven to eight years shorter than those who have incomes four or more times the federal poverty level. As of this writing, StreetEasy has 20 apartments listed for rent in Red Hook; the average rent is $3,670. It also lists 15 residential properties for sale, of which the cheapest costs

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March 2019

Real Estate THE NEW RED HOOK BUILDINGS photos by Micah B. Rubin

Does Red Hook have a “style”?

Not really, it’s more of a attitude: old ghosts, waterfront grit, industrial innovation, creative hotbed, and a diverse caring community. Motley is another word that comes to mind. We used to have a lot of vacant or underused lots, over the past few years, many of them have been turned into new buildings. We hope that the owners and architects will honor the spirit of Red Hook, which is part historic, part industrial, and part creative with an eye to the future. We welcome creative design and technical innovation. We’re in a race against rising sea levels, more frequent flooding, extreme weather events, and other environmental challenges. Our survival depends on looking towards the future and embracing radical solutions. Some new buildings are failing miserably. Most are fine and show some effort to express an idea or at least not offend. And then there are a few that really shine. We present one local critic’s opinion in the following pages.

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AND

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VAN BRUNT

These two brick buildings are being built simultaneously but by di”erent owners. Both buildings do a nice job of respecting their neighbors by incorporating traditional red brick and fenestration patterns. Fenestration is a fancy word for windows. The building to the north is more modern but still reflects its surrounding context while at the same time creates a fresh new look. It looks like a commercial space is planned on the ﬁrst floor level. The building to the south is more traditional with stone window lintels and a black roof cornice. I think this is a really well conceived townhouse, although my OCD is bugged by the unequal window spacing between the right hand and center windows. I want to slide the middle windows over so they’re all equally spaced. 4 STARS

Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019, Page 33

Real Estate 156

BEARD ST

This newcomer to the neighborhood, designed by Cicetti Architecture Studio, is a breath of fresh air among a lot of mediocre (or worse) buildings.! The thin tan roman bricks (What? No black bricks? gasp) and natural wood windows and wood trim come together with the clean lines of the building to create a modern yet warm facade. Kudos.!

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VAN BRUNT

This building could have been sooooo much better. The faux rustic/Tuscan brick pattern is awful and distracting. The front entrance and “yard” is not welcoming in the least. Surely the owners have heard of Landscaping. On the bright side, the nighttime lighting is so severe that no one could possibly miss this building!

“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.”

The answer to all your real estate needs for over 25 years

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March 2019

Real Estate 265

VAN BRUNT

Affectionately (or not so affectionately) known as the Duracell Building, I didn’t like this at all while it was under construction. The metal cladding panels are cheap, and the color is unique to say the least. However, I’ve warmed up to this building, especially considering some of the much worse buildings that have gone up since this one. The street level landscaping an fencing shows some effort, and I appreciate the relative simplicity of the facade and the fenestration. But please, couldn’t they have omitted the thru wall HVAC units? Minisplit systems are very affordable now and so much more energy efﬁcient. Better yet, solar panels on the large roof!

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309 VAN BRUNT ST These two townhouses make me sad, like the kind of sad when as a kid your new babysitter turns out to be your great aunt from Albany who smells like moth balls! It feels like everything about them was an afterthought. AND

Want a balcony? You got it, but only if you don’t like to actually go outside.But Hey, it has cool electric meters as decoration. Even Adolf Loos would cry. (0) ZERO STARS

Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019, Page 35

Real Estate

KING AND SULLIVAN STREET

TOWNHOUSES

The architects of the new townhouses on Sullivan and King Sts obviously read ‘Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture” by Robert Venturi but failed to Learn From Las Vegas. Intellectually I get what they were trying to do, but the execution falls flat. The 5 different house styles repeat in a regular pattern, trying to create variety, but it’s all artiﬁce. Think Disney Does Modern Design. Each of the homes on their own if built individually throughout the neighborhood would have been so much better. Another option I would have considered is two house designs which would have provided variety but also created a unity that the entire group would have shared. It’s pre-packaged variety, not organic variety.

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VAN BRUNT (NEXT TO STOP 1): Let me see…it’s symmetrical? It’s not too tall? That’s all I can muster. 1 STAR!

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VAN BRUNT

The exterior renovation of this old townhouse turned a very plain house into a cool modern home. A few simple materials of concrete panels and natural wood go a long way to unify the facade and really make the house pop. Some big, bold landscaping would really complete the look. 3 STARS

Liz Galvin, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Throughout Brooklyn Specializing in Red Hook and South Brooklyn

Whether you are a renter looking to rent or buy or a homeowner looking to sell or rent,

contact Liz Galvin!

egalvin@idealpropertiesgroup.com • 813-486-6950 Page 36 Red Hook Star-Revue

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March 2019

Real Estate 97

DIKEMAN ST Corten steel cladding was all the rage back in the early 2000’s, thanks in part to Richard Serra’s “Torqued Ellipse” series of enormous steel sculptures, which used steel plates so heavy and large that they had to be worked on in a ship building facility. The use of this material in Red Hook harkens back to the neighborhood’s industrial and ship building past rather nicely. I like it a lot! 5 STARS

DIKEMAN ST

A Starchitect has come to Red Hook! This house was designed by the wellknown firm SHoP.

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VAN BRUNT Sale sign still out front almost three years after completion. Need I say more?

Red Hook Star-Revue

The massing is intriguing and their choice to not build across the full width of the lot isn’t seen often. Also not seen often in the northeast is exterior circulation, though I suspect this might have been done to maximize the allowable square footage (FAR). The cladding materials look like zinc metal panel, white cement board, and natural wood. They all work well together, but ultimately because of the unusual architectural massing, create a slightly choppy aesthetic.

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March 2019, Page 37

Real Estate Brownstones are not going out of style stories on this page by Erin DeGregorio

icensed real estate salesperson Nadia Hussey, who lives in Brooklyn Heights and works at Citi Habitat’s Cobble Hill office, first delved into the industry around 2005. Since joining the Citi Habitat team in 2016, Hussey has been focusing on sales and rentals in lower North Brooklyn (as well as some in Harlem where she had previously lived). She believes the housing market today is leveling out between buyers and sellers. “It’s still kind of a seller’s market, but the buyers who are savvy and aggressive do end up getting good deals,” Hussey said.

Multi-family townhouses and condos are becoming more popular for renters and homebuyers to consider, she says. Brownstone Brooklyn, especially Bed-Stuy, has a new influx of condominiums – in which the brownstones are being turned into condo units “Brownstones are definitely not going out of style. “There are duplexes available for $1 million or less,” according to Hussey. The Corcoran Group’s fiscal 2018 Fourth-Quarter market report for Brooklyn residential sales (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2018) declared the most popular listings were in Williamsburg

Baglio spoke with us and discussed the current and future states of the housing market, as well as recent purchasing/ renting trends. RHSR: How’s the housing market these days? Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market?

Q&A with Broker Joseph Baglio Joseph Baglio is a broker and Partner at Madison Estates, one of the leading boutique brokerage firms with two offices serving Brooklyn (one on Douglass Street and the other on Avenue R). Many of Madison Estate’s transactions take place in Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Bay Ridge, Midwood, Flatbush and Marine Park. Baglio has been working in the industry for over 20 years – though he says his interest in and love for real estate began as a child. After interning for a commercial lender during college, Baglio went out on his own and purchased his first piece of property in Queens, where he developed affordable housing. Currently he’s overseeing all operations of the brokerage with a focus on agent and company growth.

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JB: The housing market is still very strong as the demand for homes continues to increase in tandem with the growing population in Brooklyn. I try to stay away from the terms “buyers’/sellers’ market.” At the end of the day everything will sell it’s a matter of when and at what price. Both buyers and sellers often need a good broker to illustrate the value of a property. RHSR: What are the current trends and things potential purchasers/renters are looking for? JB: I have noticed that purchasers and renters want to be wowed. In many new developments that we market the purchasers will be looking for that little something extra that makes the home special. It could be anything from smart home features to an extra closet. Even when you may feel that you thought of everything, a purchaser may still say “Well, if only the kitchen sink were larger.” RHSR: What’s more common for buying and/or renting in South Brooklyn: homes, apartments, condos? JB: The market has shifted back towards condos in the last couple years. Just a few years ago purchasers would line up to purchase a townhome in South Brooklyn. We saw prices increase by double digits for a couple of years in

and Greenpoint. Those neighborhoods had 144 sales, a median price of $995,000 and several resale condo penthouse transactions. The most expensive neighborhoods were Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill and Red Hook, which had 73 sales and a median price of $1.185 million. While the amounts may differ depending on what neighborhood you’re looking at, Hussey says space is a common factor that everyone’s looking for. Homebuyers want extra room for storage, such as a deep closet or a basement to store belongings. Renters look for outdoor space or access to a

a row and then it just slowed down. Suddenly no one wanted to deal with renovating a 4- or 5-story home, and the trend moved to turn key condos where all that you had to do was bring your belongings. Don’t misunderstand me there is still a strong market for townhomes - just not at the accelerated pricing that we were seeing in the past.

rooftop. In terms of what’s in store for the future of real estate, Hussey believes more people will be looking at properties in Flatbush and Ditmas Park. “Flatbush is where I’m seeing a lot of people going to make a deal, and I believe, five years from now, a neighborhood like that will probably be different place than it is right now,” she added.

Everyone is looking for value! RHSR: Based on the trends you’re seeing, what do you think the housing market will look like in 5 years? JB: I’m very bullish on the housing market and feel it will be even stronger in 5 years. We live in NYC, which is the real estate capital of the world. Even in the worst of times blood will always flow

to the heart. The best advice that I ever received was “Don’t wait to buy real state, buy real estate and wait.” Looking back at the crash of 2008, which was conceivably the worst time in our generations’ history, anyone who purchased a property in those months that followed probably made a small fortune.

A Glimpse Into Realty Collective and the Red Hook Market

Broker Victoria Alexander opened Realty Collective in 2005, which has offices at 223 Columbia and 351 Van Brunt. While properties they represent can be found throughout Brooklyn, Realty Collective’s agents serve the needs of prospective buyers, sellers and renters for commercial and residential properties located in (but not limited to) Red Hook, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Gowanus. Those agents generally handle properties in their own neighborhoods, according to Realty Collective’s website.

for creating an equitable and just city could be as well. She added that proposed ideas like the BQX and another subway could change the neighborhood – saying it could become another Williamsburg, at the mercy of big corporations and developers.

Alexander works with a lot of properties located in Red Hook and the Columbia Street Waterfront District because she herself lives in Red Hook. She also serves as a member of Community Board 6, County Committee, Resilient Red Hook, and the 24 Hour Plays. Her values are to help people navigate the decision-making process in the NYC real estate market, whether that be inheriting a building or wanting to rent/buy a first apartment for example.

“I think in the rental market the prices have definitely come down – I would say 20% from what the rents were historically in Red Hook, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens,” she explained. “That’s been really great for tenants that are moving into the neighborhood; they have a lot more leverage.”

In 2018 Alexander found Cora Dance a new home on Van Brunt Street, and did real estate transactions with local non-profits like Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Center, Red Hook Initiative and Extreme Kids & Crew. As someone who is pro-small business and pro-mixed-use neighborhood, Alexander said she’s always speaking up for what she thinks is in the best interest of Red Hook – noting it’s not just what the highest and best use for a property, but what the highest and best value

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According to Alexander, it’s currently a good time to be both buying and selling because interest rates have dropped.

She said that the general Red Hook market seems to be oversaturated with overpriced properties listed at the moment. “We’ve seen in the last year that properties have sat on the market for 6 to 12 months, not moved and prices have slowly come down,” Alexander said. “And that’s because of speculation.” In terms of what the real estate market could look like down the road, Alexander believes we’re not going to be in a seller’s market as much in the next two years – rather, people will have more opportunities to rent and purchase. rent and purchase.

March 2019

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STARªREVUE SPORTS Summit Boys end season at Barclay

he Summit Academy boys basketball team got to play where the pros play for their regular season finale. On Tuesday, February 5, Summit took on Far Rockaway Educational Campus High at the Barclay Center. Summit, who is in the B division, edged A division Far Rockaway, 51-46, in a contest that was close the whole game. Head coach Phil Grant liked how Summit played against Far Rockaway. “We played hard and pulled it out,” Coach Grant said. “Our lineup was one we don’t usually go to in the beginning of the game. Everybody that came in off the bench was able to hold their own. We did a great job defensively. We got stops when we needed to get them.” The Barclays Center, which is home of the Brooklyn Nets, sets aside days throughout the year for high schools to use the facility. Summit was a perfect 12-0 in the B division this season after winning their final league game by 30 points against Brooklyn Collaborative Studies. The Eagles played eight non-league games, including the Barclays Center game, and went 6-2 in those games.

by Nathan Weiser

Summit’s five-point win was a closer margin of victory than any of their league games this season.

Coach Grant liked how his team was able to rebound after Far Rockaway started to take control.

Summit had four players score at least nine points. Junior Jordan Council had 16 points, senior Jalil Brown had nine points and 12 rebounds, junior Nicholas Mickens had 12 points and junior Michael Gulston had nine points.

“We kept our composure,” Grant said. “Normally in a game like that when it swings, you tend to get a little rattled, but we kept our composure and then we got the stops we needed to get. Mike Gulston came in and made some key timely baskets. Jalil got two huge baskets for us. We did a great job.”

The local crowd heavily favored Summit Academy. It was a hard fought, low scoring first half. The score was 16-13 in Summit’s favor after Grant Jr. got a steal and then made a free throw just before time expired in the second quarter. For the halftime entertainment, two Summit Academy students went back and forth singing sections of the National Anthem and the Summit dance team called Straight out of Summit performed for a few minutes. There were seven girls and one boy on the team. In the 3rd quarter, the pro Summit crowd got loud when Mickens made a 3-pointer to give Summit a 21-15 advantage with five minutes left. Far Rockaway took control over the next few minutes as they took a 24-23 lead after they made a fast break layup.

Summit tied the score at 26 on a free throw and then the crowd started a defense chant towards the end of the 3rd. Far Rockaway had a 29-28 lead at end of the 3rd, but Summit took control in the 4th. Council made two free throws after he drove to the basket to tie the game at 32 with 6:24 left in the game and then Mickens made two free throws to make the score 34-32. Summit continued their momentum as Council made two technical free throws and then the junior point guard made a 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 39-32 advantage. Later in the 4th, Brown got a rebound and then made a layup to give Summit a 44-38 lead and then Brown made an important fast break layup to give Summit a 46-40 lead.

“I can’t talk enough about Jalil,” Coach Grant said. “Jalil played a great game. Jalil controlled the backboards for us. Jalil contested every shot for us. He did a great job today.” After a Far Rockaway layup reduced Summit’s lead to 4846, Council made three free throws in crunch time to give Summit the win. The Summit team was looking forward to this game as well as the Red Hook community. “Everybody really enjoyed it,” Grant said. “Not just the school but the whole community got involved. We got Pave Academy involved and had our middle school team. You know this was a pro Red Hook crowd. The whole community enjoyed this.

PAVE and Summit Middle School scrimmage

Earlier that evening, the Summit Academy middle school basketball team and Pave scrimmaged at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. The middle school game started at 7:30. PAVE middle

school principal Geoff Fenelus was on hand to watch his students. Karen Broughton, who is the chief of staff for Assistant Speaker Felix Ortix, was at the game watching her son Mark, who is on the Pave team. The Pave Panthers got out to a 11-3 lead after four minutes had gone by and they ended up winning the 8-minute scrimmage 11-4. After the game, a PAVE student remarked how he was excited that he was in the same place as Nets star D’Angelo Russell. Once Summit Athletic Director and girls high school coach Dytanya Mixson realized that they would be able to play the high school game on Tuesday, he lobbied for the middle school to open up for the high school game. “Being that PAVE is another school in the neighborhood we thought it would be perfect,” Mixson said before the middle school game happened. “It will be good for the kids to play on a big court like that.”

Summit Women Hoopsters win, by Nathan Weiser The Summit Academy Lady Eagles decisively won their first playoff game when they beat Manhattan Center for Science and Math 62-40 in Red Hook.

Swift was at the game. She brought lots of energy while cheering on the students and said she tries to bring a lot of energy to everything she does.

ton’s first points and then Brereton made a 3-pointer and was assisted for a layup.

The bleachers were packed with some even standing along the court to watch this big survive-and-advance game.

Summit’s next game will be against Harry Truman High at York College in Queens, and if Summit wins they will advance to the PSAL Final Four (also at York). Summit split their two games against Harry Truman in the regular season.

The crowd cheered loudly after Smith made a fast break layup to make the score 13-2 Summit.

“Playing at Summit is always to our advantage because the home crowd is behind us 100 percent,” Coach Dytanya Mixson said. “They were louder than usual because for the seniors it was their last game playing at Summit.” Summit defeated Manhattan Center 63-47 in their final regular season game to finish the season 11-7 in their competitive league and in a tie for third place. Summit, which beat Manhattan Center twice in the regular season, did not take them for granted. Coach Mixson was pleased that they were on point defensively after a long break between games. Summit Academy principal Cheryl

Page 40 Red Hook Star-Revue

“If we come out focused defensively like we did the last time we played them I think we should come out victorious,” Mixson said. Summit had a balanced effort with four in double figures. They were led by Junior Kiana Brereton who had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks. Junior Daysiah Smith scored 14 points, junior Aichata Ballo scored 11 points and freshman Chanel Shuck scored 10 points. Summit got out to a 7-0 lead after Brereton scored the first seven points. Sade Young got a steal leading to Brere-

“I think my starting five set the tone,” Coach Mixson said. “It was spearheaded defensively and we shut them down. They didn’t let them get any offensive rhythm. The first quarter ended with Summit leading 18-8. Mya Hodge drove to the basket for a layup to make the score 26-15. At halftime the score was 35-20. Senior Charity Barnes made a layup assisted by Smith to give Summit a 4824 lead and then Manhattan Center went on a 8-0 run to make score 48-32 at the end of 3.

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Brereton scored four straight points ending with fast break layup to give Summit 21-point lead and then Shuck made a corner 3 near the end of the game for Summit’s last basket of the game. Mixson thought it was important that Smith scored 14 points off the benc, She is like a secret weapon since she hasn’t been available the whole year. He added that she is now 100 percent healthy and can score 20 points at any time.

March 2019

Photo by Erin DeGrego

StarRevue Focus

Triple Diamond Tattoo

by erin degregorio

Brooklyn Tattoo

Brooklyn Tattoo (279 Smith Street) has been inking a variety of images in four different locations throughout the last 17 years. Co-owner and founder Adam Suerte, who studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, has been tattooing for the last 20 years come this April. He initially got into the industry when a client from his Bushwick-based artist collective (Urban Folk Art Studios) – who turned out to be a tattoo artist – asked him in the late ’90s if he’d be interested in an apprenticeship, which is standard within the industry. About two years later Suerte’s mentor moved to London and gave Suerte and his now-partner Willie Paredes all the tools and equipment to start their own shop. As a result, Brooklyn Tattoo was born in 2002.

in s p ko cr h s edi o o ble area tatt Electric Lotus Tattoo

JOSF said, at this time in his career, he prefers to freehand tattoos on the skin whenever possible and when the tattoo’s content and design can allow for it.

“I grew up here in the neighborhood. I always said if there was a play [about] my life, [the Brooklyn Bridge] would be the back drop,” Suerte said. “It’s really something I love to do.”

Fun fact: Artist Robert Bonhomme, who has been with the shop since it opened, has tattooed Girls’ creator/director/actress Lena Dunham several times. One of those tattoos includes a touch-up of literary character Eloise (her very first tattoo at the age of 17), which Dunham posted on her Instagram in 2017. Brooklyn Tattoo does welcome walk-ins and coordinates consultations and appointments – note: some artists are booked a few weeks in advance depending on scheduling and clients’ desired drawings. For more information, visit brooklyntattoo.com, call 718-643-1610 or visit the shop in-person (business hours: Mondays 12-8 pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays 12-9 pm, and Sundays 1-8 pm). Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Tattoo.

Red Star-Revue PageHook 12, March 2019

All Wolves No Sheep Tattoo Parlour All Wolves No Sheep Tattoo Parlour, which currently shows off the artistry of three tattooers, has been operating in Clinton Hill since Aug. 2015. Owner and artist Joseph Grooney (aka JOSF), who originally hails from San Francisco, has been tattooing for the last eight years. He enjoys doing Neo Traditional Japanese work, which adds more realistic depth, shading and detail to the traditional Japanese style of tattooing. But his specialty lies in lettering, including Chicano-style, street-style and gang-style writing, and being artistically influenced by the graffiti scene and street culture.

Suerte draws and tattoos a lot of iconic Brooklyn landmarks and urban iconography like fire hydrants and lampposts with hanging sneakers on them. He said he’s most well known for doing the Brooklyn Bridge, which is his all-time favorite landmark to ink.

Brooklyn Tattoo, which has five artists on staff, is a full custom shop where each artist has a distinct style to fit any client’s needs – whether that be American Traditional, Japanese, Realism or portraits, for example. The shop also does cover-ups, mainly by Paredes, who Suerte calls the ‘cover-up guru.’ Suerte said that the most popular tattoo requests are ever-present things like stars, butterflies, infinity symbols and lettering. He also noted that the watercolor style is popular, in addition to Japanese and American Traditional styles.

Resident artist Jon Lane (aka Jon Jon), who will be celebrating his 20th year tattooing this year, opened Triple Diamond Tattoo seven years ago in Gowanus. He said he always thought tattoos were cool growing up, which helped prompt him to get his first tattoo at the age of 16. Jon Jon then began to take up the trade at 18 and later worked in a Manhattan tattoo shop for 11 years. While he can tattoo a variety of styles for his clients, he specializes in cover-ups, realism and Black and Gray. His favorite images to freehand sketch and ink are flowers.

Owner and artist Jae Connor founded Electric Lotus Tattoo (692 Fulton Street) in Dec. 2000. He grew up around the underground scene of skateboarding, punk rock and hip-hop during the early ’90s, and loved travelling to New York City from his home in New Jersey. “I had that rebellious attitude and nature and always loved that tattooing, especially at that time, reflected a little bit of that outlaw feel,” he said. After graduating high school and helping in a shop, Connor learned how to tattoo at the age of 18 in 1993, during a time when it was still illegal in the state of New York. Since then he’s mastered different styles and has become well-rounded as an artist. For example, he said he can go from sketching bold, bright and dynamic imagery to inking the tiniest minimalistic tattoo just as well. Connor loves to draw and tattoo flowers (like roses and lotuses), skulls, snakes and tigers – “anything that has an organic nature and some movement to it,” he added. And though he couldn’t choose an absolute favorite portfolio piece he’s previously tattooed, he said one of his favorites is an Andy Warholinspired David Bowie portrait that he did two years ago. The shop, which has two full-time artists on staff and occasional guest artists, inks every style except hyper realistic human portraits, according to Connor. The shop also does cover-ups, touch-ups and reworks to bring life back to some designs. Connor noted that while there are different trends happening every six months, lettering and images like hearts, roses and crosses never go out of style. He also said that he always makes sure to stay in touch with the world around him for artistic inspiration.

“Eighty to ninety percent of the work I do [is] drawing on the skin and just going from there,” he explained to the RSHR. “Sometimes the process can take longer that way but [I feel like] it always fits the client better.” JOSF said that the current tattoo trend is minimalist in which images are typically small and thinly outlined. For example, some of those can include infinity symbols, triangles and outlines of flowers. He also noted that whatever design’s getting a lot of exposure on Pinterest or Instagram becomes the new name of the game.

Triple Diamond Tattoo currently has five artists in the shop, which can have a three-month wait for appointments, depending on the artist and client’s piece. Jon Jon said that the most popular tattoo style now is illustrative Black and Gray. He also noted to the RHSR that reality television competitions/shows have definitely sparked an influx of people learning how to tattoo and becoming artists. In terms of what advice he’d give to someone who’s considering getting his/her first tattoo, Jon Jon said it doesn’t always have to have significant meaning. “So long as the artwork is something you’re into, you’re happy and feel good about it, that’s all that matters,” he said. Triple Diamond Tattoo accepts walk-in clients for same-day tattoos on a first-come, first-serve basis when time is available. For more detailed, custom work, the shop works on an appointment basis, starting with a complimentary consultation that goes over design, placement and size with the artist of your choice. For further information, visit triplediamondtattoo.com, call 718-222-2925 or stop by at 257 3rd Avenue (open daily 1-8:30 pm). Photos courtesy of Triple Diamond Tattoo

All Wolves No Sheep also does a lot of cover-ups in general, but more so during tax season and right before the new year, according to JOSF. But whether clients come in for a cover-up, touch-up or a custom piece, the artists there always ask them to think about longevity and if the piece is something they really want/have wanted. JOSF said that this approach allows the artists to make sure the client is serious and won’t have any regrets. Fun fact: The shop’s name stems back to the ideology JOSF had with his friends back home in California, who wanted to break free of the city life’s hustle and bustle. “All Wolves is having people you trust and [who’re] trying to make a difference and trying to do something more than just following others,” he said. All Wolves No Sheep Tattoo Parlour accepts walk-ins and works on an appointment basis for custom pieces, starting with a free consultation. For further information, visit allwolvesnosheep.com, call 929-337-6944 or stop by at 920 Fulton Street (open Tuesdays-Sundays, 12-9 pm). Photo courtesy of AWNS Tattoo

“In order to do my job to the best of my ability I have to stay inspired, which means I have to go out and see other art at museums and galleries, go see live bands, listen to music, read, talk to people, [and] go out into the community,” Connor explained. Electric Lotus Tattoo accepts walk-ins and books appointments about two weeks in advance (depending on artists’ scheduling and the drawing’s complexity). For more information, visit electriclotustattoo.com, call 718-522-7124 or visit the shop (business hours: Mondays-Thursdays 12-8 pm, Fridays 12-10 pm, Saturdays 12-9 pm, and Sundays 1-8 pm). Photo courtesy of Electric Lotus Tattoo

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